Our Life Thus Far
by Lil'Conqueror
Summary: He was under the guise of his deceased cousin. She claimed to not be of this world. Fate truly did have a funny way of tossing two different, separate lives together.
1. Uchiha Itachi

**A\N: **Takes place sometime around episode 271; Road to Sakura. These are going to be _short _interconnected oneshots. I'm not particularly sure where I'll decide to go with these, but the idea struck me after I seen this episode and the ending kind of upset me so I decided to write something that came after Sakura disappearing from the white light that enveloped her. Hopefully these come out alright and feel free to leave your honest opinion! Much love! x

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto or anything to do with Naruto. T.T

**Chapter One; Uchiha Itachi.**

* * *

In every right, Uchiha Itachi should have died that night.

Everything was perfectly set up. Everything was align. Itachi was ready for death, ready for the afterlife. Er, well, whatever came _after_ life. Whether it be Heaven or Hell, or even whatever was in between that forced someone unable to go either up or down. Itachi was prepared. Sasuke had won, although his little brother knew not of Itachi's disease that was quickly catching up to him. Regardless, Sasuke won their fight.

Consciousness was slowly ebbing away from Itachi's grasp. It had started to downpour at some point during their fight and Sasuke was collapsed beside him. He had wanted to touch his brother one last time, feel the warmth of his hand with his. However, his body refused to move. Sure, Itachi had said his peace, but he still felt like he had unfinished business with his brother, other things he should have said.

Unfortunately, it was too late. _Years _too late.

Itachi stared up at the sky, his vision as useless as ever. Everything was dark and hazy. Though he shouldn't have expected twenty-twenty vision anyways. Idly, he wondered if there were other things in his life that he could have done differently. That thought was quickly dismissed with an inward chuckle fore Itachi could not outwardly laugh. Of course there were things he could have done differently; the outcome would have changed drastically as well. Now, would he have changed anything himself if he could? The idea was promising, but sadly, declined.

He would not have changed his behavior, his actions. He had done everything perfectly and without hiccup. Itachi had not been the top of his class for nothing. He had thought out every possible conclusion beforehand, had done everything in stride with the utmost consideration of the ending results. There was nothing he hadn't thought of and as such, this was the only acceptable ending.

With the last of his strength, Itachi smiled. It was difficult and he barely felt the corners of his lips lift, but he was sure he had pulled off the task. His obsidian orbs drooped before he could stop them and less than a minute later, darkness enveloped him in their cold embrace.


	2. Haruno Sakura

**Chapter two; ****Haruno Sakura.**

* * *

"What do you make of it?"

"You said she fell from the sky?"

"Could she be a demon?"

"What demon has pink hair?"

"What demon _doesn't _have pink hair?"

"She looks like an ordinary girl to me."

"Don't go near her! Get the headmaster! He'll know what to do!"

She could hear voices all around her. Some old, some young. Others confused or upset, hysterical even. She felt groggy and lightheaded. Her eyes refused to open and her body felt inexplicably heavy. Was she dead? But, why did her whole body ache? Wasn't death suppose to be a lot less harsh on ones physical being? Or rather, was this Hell?

Her thoughts were a jumble in her head, undecipherable. Until all of a sudden, more shouts and commotion above her.

"Make way for Lord Shisui!"

_'Shisui?' _She thought inwardly; the name had rung some type of bell, though she couldn't quite place why.

More voices, hushed whispers, and the padding of feet. One in particular was considerably light and barely audible to the others. It left a foreign feeling in the pit of her stomach, though she concentrated more on staying aware. Finally, the quiet feet walked up to her, kneeled, and there was a warm hand that ran through her hair to the base of her neck. Involuntarily, she shivered but refused to give much else to show that she were alive.

"Haruno," A deep, velvet voice murmured quietly. She froze, her breath hitching despite herself. "_Sakura_."

She grunted then, her mind taking her to another place altogether and before she knew it, she fell unconscious once more. Shisui stared at her for a moment longer, his obsidian orbs tracing every inch of her face until they fell on her hand that was tightly clutched around a pendent. It must have been a subconscious move fore she did not stir once.

Sighing, he leaned over her body and swooped her into his arms.

"L-Lord Shisui, please! Allow us!" One of the villagers had spoken, coming up to him.

However, he merely shook his head and turned back on his heel, clutching Sakura to his chest.


	3. Stuck

**Chapter Three; Stuck.**

* * *

By the time Sakura was aware for the second time that day, her eyes finally opened. Unfortunately, everything was blurry and her focus was uneven. She would have surely paniced if her body hadn't felt so heavy. She swallowed thickly and tried blinking the haze from her eyes.

"Sakura-san," Someone spoke from beside her before she felt a hand on her arm. "Are you awake?"

_'That voice.' _She inwardly thought, blinking again. It had sounded familiar, foreign, but familiar. She had wanted to say something, her lips had parted for her to do so, though no sound was made. She felt herself frown at her own frustration and lack of mobility when she heard a chuckle beside her.

"I have some water. Can you sit up?" The voice asked her again, this time she felt the hand on her arm a lot firmer. "Would you like me to help you?" It had asked her once more.

She could feel the sarcasm bubbling up inside her, begging to be spoken, though she thought the voice lucky she could not speak in her current predicament. Forcefully, she strained her neck, hoping to give him some type of sign that it was okay to help her and that was all it seemed he needed, for he was quick to aid her.

He began whispering softly in her ear, being extra careful not to push her body faster than she was able to move herself. He lifted her head up and brought the cup of water to her lips, tilting it just enough where she could sip from the cup herself. The cold water had slid down her throat with surprising ease and was quickly able to quench her thirst. Within seconds, she had downed the entire cup.

"A-Arigato." She quietly spoke, her voice slightly hoarse but feeling a lot better.

In response, he flashed her a small smile that she caught from the corner of her eye now that he was a lot closer than he was before. Despite her restrictions, she leveled a look his way the best she could.

Sakura cleared her throat and blinked the rest of the blurriness from her eyes. "Can y-you help me u-up?" Once speaking, her tongue darted out to lick her still chapped lips and waited for his help.

Without having to be told twice, he easily shifted most of her weight onto himself and sat her in an upright position. A few of the muscles that were strained from being on her back for so lock, quickly snapped and she let out a relieved sigh as motion was brought back to her.

Though she was a little worn out from that small movement, she rolled her shoulders to get some of the feeling back into them.

"Are you sure you should be doing that? You don't want your body to cease up from little movement like this." The man spoke beside her and she felt eyes on the side of her face.

Finally turning to the man that helped her, she appraised him slightly. Long raven hair, tied loosely at the base of his neck with the tail thrown casually over his shoulder. His bang came out on either side of his face, to frame. Two obsidian orbs stood out upon his beautiful complexion, even though he had small lines that went from below his eyes down, most likely from sleep deprivation. Her heart beat picked up and images flashed in her mind, vivid images surrounding this man though she did not know who he was.

Suddenly, something struck her and her eyes widened slightly.

"You called me Sakura."

The unknown man looked at her quietly, a small furrow in his brow. She looked away then, casting her gaze downward upon her lap, her fingers clenched together.

After a moment, her lips parted once again. "I'm still here." She bit her lower lip and squinted. "I'm still...here."


	4. Revelations

**Chapter Four; Revelations.**

* * *

Shisui had stared upon the pinkette in earnest. She had spoken as if she were not really who she was suppose to be, as if she did not belong here. And that baffled him. Of all the craziness he's had to endure thus far, this had to have taken the cake. Of course being the prodigy that he had been, his insight had zeroed in on a couple different scenario's. One he decided to put into words, one with a far better chance of being correct.

"You've lost your memory." He deadpanned, his calculations most likely spot on.

Sakura's head quickly shot up and her piercing jade orbs stared at him in silent awe.

_'So, I was right.' _

"Not exactly." She answered back bitterly.

Shisui's back straightened and he waited for her to elaborate further. And after a moment, she did.

"I'm not who you think I am. Her friends, her parents..." She trailed off, leaving him far more confused than before. Suddenly, her hand enclosed around the pendent he could not pry from her fingers beforehand. She turned her hand over and unclenched her fingers and there laid a broken cherry blossom pendent, with one petal a different shade of pink than the others.

Shisui stared at the pendent along with her before averting his gaze back up at her face. He was unable to read her expression fore it quickly passed before he could get a hold on it.

"I am not this world's Sakura. I'm not-" She bit her lip, then narrowed her eyes and enclosed her fingers back around the pendent.

It was quiet after that. Silence fell over them like a blanket, neither one willing to break first. After another moment, Shisui relaxed his rigid shoulders and offered her a sincere smile. He then placed a hand over her clenched fist, pulling her from whatever thoughts that had enveloped her into their broken embrace.

"I know not how you came here, to this world or to this particular village, however-" From the corner of her eyes, that brilliant smile flashed once again, giving her kindness and genuinity. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight. "However, you're welcome to stay for as long as you'd like. You have nothing to fear under my protection."

Without warning, tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes as she stared at him. Giving her a brief nod, he stood to his full height and gestured to her bed.

"Please, ease your mind. We can talk more once you're completely rested."

He turned to go until Sakura called out to him. "You never told me your name..."

Her mind surely was a wreck but she could at least have this one gleam of hope to remember _anything_. Although it had taken a moment for him to respond, the vivid images came back to her as he finally spoke,

"The people of this village address me as Shisui." She couldn't have been sure, but his tone seemed sad somehow. And then he finished, "However, you may call me Itachi."

And before she could respond, he quickly departed from the room. The shoji doors closed with a resounding thud.


	5. Strength

**Chapter Five; Strength.**

* * *

Two days had passed since Sakura had officially woken to the world once again. Two days of being suffocated with the village's generosity and overbearing emotions. It was a little overwhelming in the beginning; she had tried her best not to simply brush off their concerns and other things. But once the second day came and was slowly going, Sakura had had enough of it and had snuck into the night, becoming one with the darkness.

Despite unable to remember those who call her by name, she was surprised to find that she was still able to maneuver around the townsfolk like they were nothing. She stealthily made her way into the forest, hemming her kimono as she went for better movement.

Itachi had been looking over one of his scrolls when one of the maid's had hastily approached him, clearly distressed.

"Lord Shisui-sama, it's the girl! She's not in her room!" She exclaimed, flailing her arms wildly.

Itachi barely registered the foreign feeling that hit the pit of his stomach before he acknowledged the maid with a brief nod and disappeared in a whirl of leaves. He stretched out his senses and with surprising luck, he surge of chakra passed through him towards the forest.

He had ended up finding Sakura with her kimono pulled up and fastened securely in her obi, hacking away with her chakra infused fists on a single tree. She was panting heavily, he could see sweat falling from her brow and down her cheek. She had been out here for quiet awhile. The tree itself looked to be in terribly shape, readying to keel over from it's roots. Itachi sighed and stood far back, watching intently as Sakura continued to beat mercilessly against the tree. Despite the gap between them, Itachi could faintly hear the sounds of her murmuring something under her breath.

_"I am not this world's Sakura."_

Her words suddenly came back to him and it caused him to frown. If she claimed to not be this world's Sakura, despite how odd that sounded altogether, than how was she capable of producing such strength as Haruno Sakura herself? What had she even meant when she spoke such words to begin with?

Idly, he wondered if the Hokage herself was aware of their missing kunoichi.

Abruptly, there was a pause in Sakura's movements and he caught her staring intently down at her hands. Something silver around her neck shimmered in the pale moonlight.

"I am not her... So, why-" She whispered to herself and his eyes widened when he caught a single tear running down her cheek.

Before he could stop himself, Itachi stepped forward into the clearing. Sakura clenched her fists and spun on her heel to face him, her emotions locked under a heavy padded door, the key thrown away once more. Blinking slowly, he walked towards her. Despite making the first move, Itachi was at lost for words. What could he possibly say to someone in her position? And just what _was _her position exactly?

Unable to do anything else and without warning, Itachi brought his hand up and placed it atop her head, ruffling her soft pink hair. She gasped and stared up at him, though his eyes had closed as he leaned forward.

"You're strong." He murmured against her forehead, his lips briefly touching her skin.

More images flooded her head at his words, though this time they were of someone else; someone who appeared to be this man, though the features were slightly off, the height as well, and this image did not call her strong.

Once Itachi had pulled away from her, Sakura took an awkward step back and averted her gaze.

"Let's go back." He offered and mutely, she followed his retreating form.


	6. Similarities

**Chapter Six; Similarities.**

* * *

"It's weird," Sakura began, flexing her fingers above her head as she laid casually upon the tatami floor. "I am not Haruno Sakura and yet, I _am_."

Itachi watched her through half-lidded eyes, gingerly sipping his tea. The day after he had caught her beating a tree to death, he had asked her if she could describe _somehow _just who she was. She had insisted she didn't know where to start or if she even could, but the talk of dango and tea was enough to persuade her. He wasn't sure if it was something the old Sakura liked, but this Sakura was more than happy to oblige his efforts with bribery.

"It is strange." He concurred with a brief nod. "You say you're not this world's Sakura although you have her strength, you remember all of her power."

Sakura sighed and glanced at him with a frown. "It does seem to be the _only_ thing I remember."

Placing his tea aside, he gave her a comforting smile.

"Do not think too much into it. I'm sure it'll all eventually come to you."

Unfortunately, she seemed unconvinced and moved her gaze back to her fingers.

"I do have a question though..." She trailed off uncertainly, as if she'd be scolded for speaking out of line though she hadn't said a word yet.

Itachi motioned for her to continue, showing he was listening.

"You said your name was Itachi, right?"

He nodded.

"So then, why do the villagers call you Shisui?"

The room was quiet for a moment. The only sound that could be heard was their entwined breathing, that despite not being perfectly in sync, was wrapped around the others accordingly. Finally, Itachi sighed.

"Perhaps I'm not truly of this world either."

At this, Sakura sat up and looked at Itachi meaningfully. Was he mocking her? Or was there something more she wasn't seeing? Either way, Itachi stared back at her impassively, as if hiding something not only from her but himself as well. Sakura then smirked and shook her head, her pink hair brushing softly against her face.

Sakura abruptly stood up, her kimono falling just below her ankles. She turned towards the shoji doors and flicked her gaze briefly back over her shoulder back at Itachi. Their eyes locked for a moment before she turned back around.

"Ease your mind, Lord Shisui." She recited his words, almost like a slap to the face. She left him alone in the room, his tea going cold before he could finish it. The dango left nearly untouched. With certain clarity, Itachi realized that name did not sound as appealing as his true name falling from her tongue.


	7. Hurt

**Chapter Seven; Hurt.**

* * *

It was well past midnight when Sakura had heard commotion in the back. Wiping the sleepiness out of her eyes, she groggily got up and made her way out back, stifling a yawn as she went.

"Who's up at this hour of the night?" She murmured absently to herself, opening the shoji door that lead outside to the back of the mansion.

Her jade orbs widened at the sight of a slightly disheveled Shisui. She grunted to herself and averted her gaze. No, he was only Lord Shisui to everyone else. She remembered vaguely he had told her it was okay to call him by his true name when they were alone. Moving her eyes back to Itachi, she watched as he beat relentlessly against a stump that was purposely made for training.

_'Itachi?' _She thought wordlessly, observing each movement with a watchful gaze.

His stance was loose and yet his back was far straightener than just for mere training. If she listened carefully, she could hear him hissing as each hit connected with the wood. It was only when his blows were more forceful and she was sure she'd caught blood on his knuckles did she actually interfere.

She jumped from her position by the doors and landed beside him, gripping his wrist before he could launch his next punch.

"That's enough." She deadpanned and pulled him effortlessly from the broken stump.

Itachi was quiet as he allowed her to lead him to the steps. His eyes, so focused before, were now lost and vacant of any emotion. He hadn't even felt her presence yet caved in immediately to her pulling him away from his training.

Sakura shook her head, her messy pink locks moving with the motion. "Honestly, what were you trying to accomplish?" She had muttered that to herself yet Itachi had yielded and held her back from moving forward.

His eyes were drawn to the grass below them, almost as if finding it far more interesting than anything else. Her grip was still tight around his wrist as she looked at him questioningly. Despite not meeting her gaze, Sakura could see images of _something _passing along his features like a flip book.

She blinked slowly, trying to make sure she was seeing right before she sighed altogether. She loosed her grip on his wrist and tugged him gently along back inside. In silence, he allowed her to lead him.

This was definitely a side Sakura had never seen of Itachi since first meeting him over a week ago. It pulled at her heart-strings though she forced herself to remain calm. It was a lot more difficult than she realized.

Itachi was in pain and wordlessly, he went about life without complaint. He endured for the sake of his people, did his rightful duty as their Lord with a smile on his face. His smile always did seem a bit off, even when he thought no one was looking and he smiled to himself, it didn't sit right on his lips.

Sakura had dragged them both to the bathroom and once in, pushed Itachi gently onto the toilet seat as she rummaged through the medicine cabinet. Grabbing the necessary items to clean off Itachi's wounds, she quickly squatted in front of him and set to work.

Making sure there wasn't any splinters in the open cuts on his knuckles, she applied some antiseptic first. If Itachi felt discomfort, he did not voice his pain. She then continued to wrap up his hands expertly, her eyes completely focused on the task. Itachi watched silently, his obsidian orbs not once leaving her face. Despite feeling his intense gaze on her, Sakura did not once look up.

After a few minutes, she leaned back on the balls of her feet and examined her work. She smiled to herself and made to stand but Itachi abruptly shot his arms out and wrapped them securely around her neck, enclosing her into his warm embrace. Sakura gasped and tried to strain her neck to peer up at him but it was as if he wasn't having any of that and held her even tighter, obscuring her view.

"I-Itachi?" She asked after a moment, her hands clutching at his robe unsurely.

He inhaled shakily, his voice coming out small as he said, "Arigato, Sakura."

Her short struggle to get a good look at his face was immediately lost as she relaxed her shoulders and allowed him to do as he pleased. She raised one of her arms to hug him back and leaned her head into the crook of his neck.

Itachi's body shook slightly and he tightened his hold almost to the point of painful as he hiccuped. He wouldn't show her, anybody, but Itachi was hurting. If there was anything that she could do, Sakura decided she would give him this simple pleasure.


	8. Smile

**Chapter Eight; Secret Smiles.**

* * *

Itachi had been strolling through the shrine in search of one pinkette when one of the maid's had stopped him.

"Lord Shisui-sama?" She asked uncertainly. She had been clutching a bag of groceries in her hand, most likely for tonight's dinner. "Is everything alright?"

Itachi had his left hand hanging loosely in his slightly parted kimono as he turned to her, his expression softening. Ignoring her inquiry, he gestured to the bags in her hands.

"Do you need some help with those?"

He had made to grab one of the bags, but the maid was quick to shake her head.

Flashing him a smile, she responded, "No thank you, Lord Shisui-sama. I couldn't, I mean-" She bit her lower lip and averted her gaze, a blush staining her cheeks as she tripped over her own words. Abruptly, as if a light just went on, she glanced back at him. "If you're looking for Miss Sakura, I seen her when I went into town."

Raising a quizzical brow, the maid explained that Sakura had been aimlessly walking around and that she had assumed her Lord had given her the okay to wander out of the shrine alone. Quickly dismissing her, Itachi made his way out of the shrine to hunt her down.

He had been walking for quite awhile before he had heard any talk of Sakura's current whereabouts. Itachi had to stop a few times to make sure the gossip wasn't false and was gratefully awards with her specific location by a few of the old men that had been drinking outside of a tea house. Itachi thanked them and turned on his heel to head towards the outskirts of the village. His heart suddenly began racing when he saw Sakura sprawled out on the ground with something clutched close to her chest in the distance.

Itachi picked up his pace and darted towards her and coming close to her, Sakura suddenly began laughing hysterically. Upon closer inspection, he noticed Sakura had a little boy in her arms, who looked about ready to cry a river when Sakura suddenly spoke up.

"See? That wasn't so bad, Aoi-chan!" She murmured to the tear-y eyed boy.

The boy named Aoi looked up at her, sobbing uncontrollably as he clung to her for dear life.

"Y-Y-You're not h-hurt are you, Saku-c-chan?" He stammered quietly, his big tearful eyes staring up at her.

Itachi watched in silence as Sakura sat up a little straighter and despite the next choice of words to fall from her lips, he could tell her she was in pain when she attempted to straighten her shoulders.

"Of course not. I told you, didn't I? I'm the Hokage's apprentice! I'm strong as a bull!" She gushed merrily and the boys eyes widened even more.

Before he could say anything further, the boy happened to peer over her shoulder and gasped.

"Oh! Lord Shisui-sama!"

Following his gaze, Sakura glanced over her shoulder at him as well. "Hm? How long have you been standing there?"

Itachi was unable to answer right away and merely watched them through half-lidded eyes. Aoi looked uncertainly between the two adults and quickly scrambled to his feet, bowing to Itachi.

"I-I should go. I'm not allowed out so late!" He then turned to Sakura and smiled sheepishly. "Thank you for saving me, Saku-chan!"

And before either could say anything, Aoi quickly ran past Itachi and back towards the village, waving a hand over his shoulder. Sakura smiled to herself and shook her head, dusting herself off as she stood up. It was silent for what felt like forever. Sakura had completely shrugged off the situation for the matter at hand and Itachi quickly caught her by the arm.

"You did not say where you were going." His tone was low and curious, though Sakura could vaguely tell he was trying to control his breathing.

Blinking slowly, she sighed. "Forgive me. I didn't realize that I-" She caught herself suddenly, his sullen expression catching her attention. She bit her lower lip and frowned. "I'm sorry for wandering off on my own."

Without meaning to, Itachi's grip tightened slightly. The action did not go unnoticed by Sakura. She then gestured behind her towards the tree her and Aoi had been under.

"I hadn't been out of the shrine since coming here and I was bored. I wandered off when I heard shouting and that little boy was stuck in a tree, too scared to come back down." She exhaled deeply, pausing. "Apparently some other kids were around here; something about a dare, I guess? I'm not entirely sure, he was crying too much at the time."

"You hurt yourself." Itachi deadpanned, zeroing in on her shoulder.

Sakura quickly glanced up at him before averting her gaze in embarrassment. "A l-little. I had jumped up onto the branch with him because he was too scared to jump into my arms. I guess I'm still not use to this Sakura's body because after I grabbed him, my footing was completely off and I fell." Suddenly she froze and her eyes met his wildly, unshed tears in her eyes. "B-But he's okay, I promise! I made sure to take the landing and-"

Itachi then pulled her into his arms and held her close, making sure to mind her injured shoulder.

"I-Itachi?"

His grip on her tightened slightly. She had spoken his name once again. A chill ran down his spine at her voice speaking his true name. She may have not been accustomed to this body, but she still selflessly put someone else's life above her own. Unaware of the action himself, Itachi smiled.


	9. Curiosity

**Chapter Nine; Curiosity.**

* * *

It had been a few days since Itachi had found Sakura on the outskirts of the village with Aoi. Despite the time that had passed since then, Itachi couldn't quiet stop thinking about her choice of words that she had spoken to the little boy.

_"Of course not. I told you, didn't I? I'm the Hokage's apprentice! I'm strong as a bull!"_

That had left a odd taste in his mouth and plenty of questions to go with it. What did that mean, he wondered. Had Sakura remembered something? About the life she use to lead, the life of the old Haruno Sakura.

For days, Itachi could think of nothing else. He even went out of his way to make sure he wasn't in the same room with her alone. Which was ridiculous in itself. He had no reason to run from the girl. She was in his home. Not the other way around.

However, whenever he saw her fast, the memories came flooding back. And not of the ones that he had been thinking about for the past few days.

No, all he could see is her smiling face and her warm eyes. Those jade orbs that became clear as emerald in the sun.

It was nearly two weeks since he'd found her at the front of the village unconscious. Two weeks and he was already so accustomed to seeing her face around that he did not understand what life had been like before she arrived. Foreign emotions bubbled up to the surface, causing his head to become clouded and he felt dizzy.

This was not okay.

He, who should have died that night of the great battle between his brother and himself. And she, who for some reason was not who she was suppose to be and in the same sense, she was.

The confusion and curiosity was slowly eating away at his sanity. He was a prodigy or at least, had been for the majority of his life. But when it came to her, this pink haired, green eyed _woman_, everything felt off kilter and his head was a mess of questions and concerns. Even most nights were hard to get through when all he wanted were answers.

Itachi sighed for what felt like the millionth time that day. He forced himself to relax his rigid posture and to ease his mind.

It did not do well for him to get so worked up over something so-

His train of thought was lost as he peered outside to see Sakura talking with one of the maids. Her smile was vibrant and her laugh was contagious. They had been discussing something hilarious as they carried on about their business, Sakura helping her out. He said nothing, merely watching from a distance.

"Has she captivated you, Uchiha-sama?"

Grunting, Itachi spun on his heel and turned to the only person who called him that.

"Good evening, Taichou." He greeted, bowing his head.

The man, who appeared to be a few years older than Itachi himself, groaned to himself.

"You know I hate when you call me that, Itachi. It's too formal and makes me feel older than I am."

Itachi smirked. "I only say it with the utmost respect and gratitude for being the Captain of this village, Kaito-san."

Kaito, who had been Itachi's close friend since coming to this village, rolled his eyes and slapped his shoulder mockingly.

"Cut the crap, Milord." He teased with a wink. "I'm only Captain of the soldiers that _protect _this village. Nothing more and you know that." He then slowly brought his attention to where Itachi had been observing the two women outside. "You didn't answer my question."

Itachi frowned and followed his lead, his obsidian orbs finding Sakura easily. Though it had not been difficult beforehand. Itachi was curious. Just how deep did _this _Sakura's memory go? So many questions that ultimately came back around to one important question: What was he going to do with her?


	10. Nightmare

**Chapter Ten; Nightmare.**

* * *

It was a nightmare; that was all Sakura could think as she sprang out of bed, covered in cold sweats. She was breathing heavily, her eyes wide in fear.

It was well into the night when Sakura woke herself up in a desperate need to escape that dream she had been cornered in. There was blood, so much blood and gore. A battlefield of some sort. And a figure, killing people she probably should know, but could not acutely recognize. Screams of pain and terror, more blood. There was a fire, scolding hot and scorching. People of all age, falling like stars. It was a bloodbath and at the top, the very top of that hill, a man stood. Tall and menacing. His cold, piercing red eyes staring at her. Almost as if right through her. She was scared, shaking with uncontrollable fear. Her jade orbs wide in horror and then he was so close, so very close. His hot breath was fanning her face and a silent scream was bubbling in her throat, waiting to be released from her lungs.

_Annoying._

That's what he called her, said to her. She wanted to run but her legs refused to oblige her. She was frozen, rooted to the spot.

_Sakura._

He spoke her name like the caress of a lover, the sound could have been music to her ears if not for the position she were in. She did not recognize this man, though she felt like she should have. He seemed so familiar. Raven hair and piercing red orbs that appeared to be spinning wildly. Her mind had gone blank, her body heavy. She felt like she was falling, hard and fast, until a pair of arms caught her, holding her close. She felt air on the back of her neck and she moaned, although not from pleasure Quite the opposite. She was afraid, praying internally for someone to save her.

It was odd, she knew nothing and no one and yet the name to fall from her lips surprised her altogether. Perhaps that is what awoke her. Her savior, mentioned with such distressed and pleading-

"Itachi!"

Her body was a lot faster than her head and she found herself bolting out of her room and down the hall. Her feet carried her to the place her heart felt the safest, as if automatically knowing what she needed, whom she needed.

He had been in a fitful sleep as well when she entered his room. The shoji doors sliding open with haste and slamming just as quick. She was crying at this point, but she was not even aware herself when it had started. She fell onto his futon, wrapping her arms around his body and cramming herself as close as humanely possible to his person.

Itachi woke with a start, the familiar scent of freshly cut strawberries wafting in his nostrils. He looked down sharply and came face-to-face with a mess of pink hair and a petite woman molded to his body.

"Sa-Sakura?" He questioned, his eyes wide.

At this point, she was breathing too heavily to be safe. It occurred to him almost immediately that she was hyperventilating and his arms instantly wrapped around her small body, pulling her even closer.

He began rubbing her back soothingly, whispering quietly into her ear to try and calm her racing heart and sharp breaths. She was sobbing uncontrollable into his chest, her eyes shut tightly from the world around her. She then started choking out words too undecipherable for him to understand. He held her even tighter, if possible.

Something had scared the usual fearless Haruno Sakura. She had not thought twice of her ability to save that boy from that tree despite her inability to recall proper footing and agility for a ninja. Yet here she was, fear racking her body, trying to get as close as possible to him, as if to somehow merge her body with his.

Time had passed by slowly and eventually, Sakura had calmed down enough to talk to him more clearly. She pulled back slowly but did not look at him.

"Did you have a bad dream?" He asked, his tone low and gentle. He did not want to startle her.

She was quiet, finding his chest a lot more interesting than answering his question.

He did not attempt to question her again and instead pulled her away slightly and offering her shelter beside him underneath the covers. It was then that she looked up at him, her eyes wide and tears threatening to spill over once more before she hastily got under the covers and curled up into his side, her head resting on his arm. He smiled softly and wrapped his other arm around her body after he pulled the cover back up, hiding their bodies beneath it. Her head fit perfectly in the crook of his neck and Itachi had to remind himself to breathe when he felt her breath fanning his exposed skin.

It wasn't long after that when she finally calmed down enough to fall asleep. Her breathing was even and her body relaxed into his. He watched her for awhile before his eye lids began to droop themselves.

Something had scared her. But he made a silent promise to himself, a vow that whatever could harm her, would regret the day they ever crossed him.


	11. Ominous

**Chapter Eleven; Ominous. **

* * *

Something had felt off for the past few days. In the beginning, the feeling was not as prominent as it was now. Itachi had thought nothing of it as he went on about his day, watching over the newest member of their village, and continuing his duty to the people of said village.

"I see you feel it as well." Kaito suddenly spoke as he entered the room, bowing politely.

Itachi eyed his friend warily before sighing and looking down at the scroll he had gripped tightly in his hands. Of course he had felt it. It was a little overbearing, considering he wasn't as up to par with any normal solider who had not come back from the dead. Even he was still adjusting to the life of a civilian and it had been awhile already.

"Has there been any unease at HQ?"

Kaito grunted and shook his head. "No. While I do believe _something _to be out there, whoever they are, they're doing their best to remain discreet."

Itachi nodded mutely. Something was out there, scouting the outskirts of the village, the defense, the people. It was only a matter of time until they made their move and attacked. Having been an Anbu Black Ops in his youth, Itachi was no fool. He could analyze and grasp what they may or may not do. Unfortunately, he was unable to do anything about it himself considering he was _suppose _to be dead.

No, he was no longer Uchiha Itachi in this life.

After all he'd done to make sure Sasuke got his revenge, he could not simply put himself on the front line and expose himself. By a stroke of luck, these people did not know of the outside world. They knew nothing outside of their land. And as such, they did not know him.

Kaito, who had been quietly watching Itachi mull over their current predicament, crossed his arms over his chest and kneeled before him. Itachi slowly looked up but did not openly address his friend.

"Uchiha-sama, while I'm sure your concern lies in the safety of your people, I assume Sakura-chan's life takes priority as well." Before Itachi could correct him, Kaito held up his hand to halt any words from forming and continued, "I'm also aware that you, yourself, cannot reveal your true identity outside the village. For whatever reason that you have failed to tell me, I think I'm certain of your feelings."

He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath and Itachi watched him under close inspection. Having only known Kaito for a short while, Itachi trusted him beyond words. He reminded him a lot of his late cousin. That thought struck a hidden nerve he had long thought to be buried in the past but his face remained expressionless.

Kaito smiled then and stood up, bowing once more.

"Yes, I think I am certain of your feelings. Do not fret, Milord, whoever these people are, their first and final mistake was approaching this village with the intent to kill." With that said, Kaito dismissed himself.

Itachi watched him leave without protest, the scroll in his hand seemingly forgotten. That strange feeling that had been plaguing his mind came forth again. It was unrelenting and it left a bad taste in his mouth. Something was coming. And he knew he had to decide what was more important; the safety of his people or the mask he had stolen to protect Sasuke's future.

* * *

A lone figure, who had been listening in on the entire conversation between Itachi and Kaito, quickly turned on their heel and departed without another look back.


	12. Safe

**Catxangel:** Not exactly. They're both in the same, original world of Naruto. Itachi had survived the ordeal with his brother and ended up in the village he's in now as their headmaster whilst Sakura, if you had seen the Road To Sakura episode (271), she ended up disappearing at the end and so the idea came to me that she was then transported elsewhere, not completely herself. I probably suck at explaining this, so I hope you understand. Anyways, thanks for your review! x

**Chapter Twelve; Safe.**

* * *

Sakura had felt restless days after she had overheard Itachi talking with the Captain of the Guard. She hadn't meant to eavesdrop on their conversation the other night, she had merely been passing by when she'd heard the small voices coming from the main hall.

_"No. While I do believe something to be out there, whoever they are, they're doing their best to remain discreet."_

She recalled those words clearly and even the slightest thought that there was someone out there on the outskirts of this village, planning an attack of some kind, rattled her immensely. For the second time since landing in this village, Sakura felt unimaginable fear. What was she going to do if they actually attacked? What would happen to the villagers? Would there be a bloodbath? What could she even do to defend herself or those she had gotten to know very well here?

The questions were endless and Sakura had found herself visibly shaken to the core. So completely wrapped up in her thoughts, she was unaware of the looming presence behind her until a hand came down on her shoulder.

"Sakura-"

Abruptly, she jumped into the air and spun on her heel with a horrified expression on her face. Itachi, who was equally surprised at her reaction, took a single step back. Sakura's lips were parted in a silent scream, her jade orbs glossed over with unshed tears.

"Forgive me, it wasn't my intention to startle you. I thought-" He paused, his obsidian eyes watching her closely yet keeping his distance for her sake. Something had terrified the girl and he felt it was more than just his sudden appearance. "What's wrong, Sakura?"

She was trembling uncontrollably, her entire body shaking with fear. His pulse quickened and blood rushed to his head with fury. Something had scared the poor girl into fits of unease and it appeared he had only made it worse, however-

His hands quickly shot out and he enveloped the pinkette in his arms, holding her as close as humanely possible. Sakura, familiar with his embrace, sobbed into his chest, her small hands clutching his kimono in an iron grip. He cooed quietly in her ear, trying to calm her down while simultaneously rubbing soothing circles into her back. She hiccuped, her tears slipping through the fabric of his kimono and wetting his skin slightly.

"Shh, Sakura. It's okay, no one is going to hurt you." He reassured, resting his head on the top of hers, cuddling her even further. It wouldn't have surprised him if they suddenly became one with how tightly and close they were to the others person.

_"Uchiha-sama, while I'm sure your concern lies in the safety of your people, I assume Sakura-chan's life takes priority as well."_

Kaito's voice suddenly filled Sakura's mind, his words relaying themselves to her in a hushed whisper. With Itachi attempting to calm her down and the flashback of Kaito's words, Sakura began to quiet down, her sobs slowly coming to an end.

Still clutched closely to his chest, Sakura softly spoke, "S-Sorry... I just- I'm sorry."

Unsure if she made any sense whatsoever, she remained silent, allowing Itachi to just hold her. After a moment, Itachi sighed and pulled back slightly to look down at her. The warmth of his smile he directed solely to her was breathtaking, her face became suddenly hot.

"Whatever it is that has you upset, think of it no longer." He began, lifting his hand to cup her cheek and rub his thumb against her smooth skin. "You are a part of this village and under _my _protection. You have nothing to fear, I swear."

At his declaration, Sakura almost burst into another fit of tears but with enough effort, she held them back and did her best to smile back at him. His encouragement and close proximity gave her the needed strength to remind herself that she would always have Itachi by her side.


	13. Comfort

**Chapter Thirteen; Comfort.**

* * *

Sakura had felt restless and uneasy as the days passed. Despite having Itachi's presence by her side, she still felt the fear take over every now and again while his back was turned. She truly did try to place her faith in his Leadership. Though never having witnessed his power to protect the village, she trusted Itachi beyond words.

_'Though, perhaps I could have been of more use if the old Haruno Sakura was here...' _She thought absently, staring at her hands sadly.

"Lady Sakura?" A voice suddenly called from behind her.

Twisting in her seat, she looked over her shoulder as one of the older maids came over to her.

"A-Ah, Miho-san." Sakura quickly righted her posture and smiled cheerfully up at the woman as she came closer. "Please, I've told you, there's no need to address me as Lady Sakura. Just Sakura is fine." But even falling from her lips, she didn't feel quite right calling herself by that name.

Miho smiled back and took a seat beside her.

"Nonsense. You're the woman most precious to Lord Shisui-sama. It would not feel right if I were to call you anything but Milady."

At this, Sakura frowned deeply, seemingly taken aback by this notion. Precious to Itachi? Her?

Noticing her confusion, Miho chuckled. "Do you not think so?"

"Well-" Sakura looked away, unsure.

"Please understand, Sakura, it has been quite some time since anyone has ever seen Lord Shisui-sama smile as he does when you're around. It warms our hearts to see him so carefree every now and again." She explained, looking off into the distance as if in deep thought.

"Ita-" Sakura paused frantically, kicking herself for her mistake. "I mean, Lord Shisui-sama does tend to overwork himself, doesn't he?"

If Miho had noticed her slip up, she didn't not comment on it.

"It is to be expected. He is, after all, the Headmaster of our village." Miho smiled warmly in thought. "I suppose that makes him _our _Kage, don't you think?"

Sakura laughed wholeheartedly, tears pricking the corners of her eyes. After having been so enveloped by her paranoia of disaster waiting in the outskirts, talking with Miho like this was a good change of pace and equally refreshing.

"That sounds lovely."

Gasping, Sakura whipped her head around towards the door; Miho, however, appeared amused and slowly stood up.

"Lord Shisui-sama, I assured you I would get it out of her." She teased, sounding twenty years younger than she was. The infectious laughter that ensued after her comment nearly stole her breath.

Sakura had been played. And though it should have upset her, the tears she had forced back had quickly caught her off guard and she found herself crying aloud, sobs racking her body as she laughed along with Miho. Itachi peered around the older woman to Sakura, his obsidian orbs zeroing in on her face. Miho had stopped laughing and turned to look at Sakura as well, a small smile lifting her thin lips.

Honestly, she had tried to reign in her feelings as best she could. She pleaded with her body to stop trembling, for the tears to stop falling, and her laughter to subside; but it was to no avail as she was clutched over, holding her stomach, laughing and crying all at the same time.

All at once, Itachi stepped forward, kneeling before the still seated woman and placed a comforting hand upon her head. At his touch, Sakura's body quieted down almost immediately and she found herself gasping as his lips brushed against her forehead softly.

"If nothing else, place your faith in me, Sakura." He breathed, his hot breath fanning her face and causing her body to heat up at the sensation. "I told you, you have nothing to fear under my protection."

Miho stood quietly behind the couple, smiling to herself.

Itachi pulled back slightly to peer down at Sakura through half-lidded eyes. Silently, Miho excused herself to give the two some privacy. Neither Itachi nor Sakura had noticed her leave and instead, looked at each other wordlessly.

_'I don't know what I could do for this village, for him, but-' _

His smile was breathtaking as he whispered, "You do not have to be anything but yourself, Sakura. You're _you_, and that is more than enough."

_'But-'_

Her brows furrowed in pain as tears gathered back up and spilled back over. Without warning, she shot forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him as close as she possibly could. Itachi wound his arms around her waist and brought her even closer, inhaling her calming scent and closing his eyes.

"You have nothing to fear, Sakura." He murmured softly.

_'But, I cannot run from this man, from this village.' _

"Itachi," She began, clenching her eyes closed to force the tears back as she whispered, "Arigato."


	14. Proof

**Chapter Fourteen; Proof.**

* * *

Karin had been scouting the border, just as she was instructed to. It had been a pain in the ass to even get as close as they were now, but under Sasuke's order, there wasn't much they could do to protest. The village was heavily guarded and though it should have been simple enough to take care of a bunch of ninja-less old folk, their defenses were surprisingly strong. Which gave Sasuke's foresight a lot more evidence to who was living inside this village.

Truthfully, Karin hadn't understood why this person was so important to Sasuke that he had to stop everything else he was doing just to seek this village out. Upon stopping at a different villa not too far from there, word had picked up that a beautiful woman had been found in the village over, with striking pink hair and stunning green eyes. Some even spoke of her like an angel that had descended from the heavens, landing upon the earth as elegantly as such.

The moment Sasuke heard of this, everything they had been planning for the Leaf, all their hard work was foresaken and they were to find this village and see if the rumors were indeed true. However, they were not prepared for the outstanding defense for a mere civilian village. It seemed suspicious and so they had set up camp a little ways away from the guard station and listened intently as Sasuke gave them orders.

Hence why she was the one scouting the border. She could easily mask her chakra a lot better than the others and could go undetected more easily. But quite frankly, Karin just wanted to report back that the mission was unsuccessful because there was no _angel _with pink hair and green eyes in that village.

_'Or even at all, because who the hell has pink hair and green eyes?!' _She thought inwardly with a sour expression on her face.

It even irked her greatly just how interested Sasuke was about this woman, too. Did he know her personally? Was that why he dropped everything to come and find out if the rumors were true? If so, this damped Karin's mood even further. Whoever this bimbo was, she'd be in one helluva shithole once Karin found her, she surmised with a wicked grin. After all, Sasuke didn't have to know, especially if she were the one to find her first. Accidents do happen, of course.

Suddenly, she leapt behind a nearby tree and listened intently as two guards came around, talking amoungst themselves. Sasuke had said not to engage unless provoked and even then, she was to flare her chakra for them to know.

"What do you think Lord Shisui-sama is going to do about the-" One began but the other cut him off with a sigh.

"Dunno, but Captain Kaito has placed his full trust in him still to this day, so I'm sure whatever he decides will be for the protection of us all."

_'So this Shisui is the Headmaster of this village and Kaito is the General to his liege.' _Karin inwardly deduced with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. This really was much too troublesome.

Again, the first man spoke, "Either way, all of our worries have been most quieted with Sakura-san's presence, don't you think?"

Karin narrowed her eyes. _'Sakura? Could that be the girl Sasuke is wondering about?'_

"Of course, she is quite the lady. It's a shame Lord Shisui-sama keeps her all to himself." The other joked, nudging his buddy with his elbow. They both chuckled to themselves.

It was a moment or two later when they were both out of view when Karin finally stood to her full height. Whatever Sasuke was planning beforehand was definitely not going to be good now. Sighing, Karin disappeared to relay her information back to her team with all the reluctance in the world on her shoulders.

xXx

"Ah, the cow is back." Suigetsu mumbled under his breath, stifling a yawn as Karin walked into the clearing.

"What was that, razor teeth?!" She snapped, eyes wild in rage.

"Karin." Sasuke warned, standing from his position on the ground. He walked up to her, his patience clearly wearing thin. Since the rumors of a woman with pink hair and green eyes was heard in the last village, Sasuke had been nothing but anxious heading towards where the rumors of her being were placed. Were they true? And if so, why was Sakura all the way out here? Was it a mission? Or something else? The questions were endless and thus, Sasuke needed answers.

Sighing, Karin squared her shoulders and bit back the profanties she desperately wanted to scream in Suigetsu's face. She looked at Sasuke, her gaze softening slightly as she spoke;

"Well, there does appear to be a woman that's recently come to the village it seems. The guards were nothing but loose lips and were unable to detect my presence."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes sharply, waiting impatiently for the rest of the story he knew there was more of. Karin continued, almost shrinking back at his harsh gaze.

"A-And, the Headmaster of the village still seems to be on rocky grounds with the guards. But I guess the General, er- Their Captain, I mean, holds this Shisui person in high regards and-"

Sasuke's eyes widened considerably, interrupting her, "Did you say _Shisui_?!"

Karin took a single step back, surprised and a little fearful of his sudden outburst.

"Uh, y-yeah. I mean, that's what they called him anyways..." She trailed off, suddenly uncertain if she even heard right to begin with.

His hands balled into fists at his side, Sasuke's eyes began to bleed red as he asked one final question;

"The girl, did they call her by name as well?" His tone was borderline hostile as his Sharingan began to spin wildly.

Karin swallowed thickly and gave an affirmative nod. Their companions were silent behind them, watching Sasuke's reaction curiously.

"Yes, t-they called her-" Sasuke glared. Karin was near to tears. "They called her Sakura."

Without warning, Sasuke was gone in a whirl of leaves.


	15. Suspicion

**A\N: **Next chapter might be my favorite, just saying. ;)

**Chapter Fifteen; Suspicion.**

* * *

That restless feeling she had been feeling recently had been out of sight, out of mind the entire day. Today had been the day she thought she was seriously going to lose her mind. Whilst she didn't feel outright like she was being watched, the ominous words Kaito had shared with Itachi still plagued her thoughts.

_"While I do believe something to be out there, whoever they are, they're doing their best to remain discreet."_

Sitting beneath the lone tree at the top of the hill where she had first met Aoi, she leaned her head back against the bark and sighed. Through half-lidded orbs, she stared down at the ever bustling village, her face blank of any real expression.

_'Who would want to hurt these people?' _She didn't realize her face scrunched into anger. _'What sick, twisted, unhuman-'_

"Penny for your thoughts, Milady?" A voice suddenly penetrated her eardrums, eliciting a surprised gasp from her.

Sakura looked to her far left where the voice had come from only to breathe a sigh of relief when she found it wasn't Itachi. She wasn't sure if she could face him right now.

Kaito smiled wryly, his tone teasing as he said, "Well, don't look so _displeased._"

Realizing her rudeness, Sakura quickly back-peddled.

"I-I'm sorry, Captain, I didn't-"

Her words only furthered to amuse him as he barked out laughing, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He came up to her and ruffled her hair affectionately. Sakura blushed crimson and averted her gaze, causing Kaito's smile to widen. Whilst he didn't spend a lot of time with her, Kaito would have been blind not to see just how much Sakura's presence meant to this village, to Shisui himself. As the Captain and protector of this village, he swore an oath to ensure the safety of this village. Sakura may have been a new addition to the family, but his resolve would not waver. She was important to Shisui and thus, important to him.

"I hear enough of that from Shisui-sama. Please, just call me Kaito." He spoke, taking a seat beside her.

Sakura then began sprouting apologies and he caught himself laughed wholeheartedly once more. He could see why the Headmaster adored her so much. She was far too cute for her own good.

After settling down a bit, Sakura slowly looked his way, a frown upon her lips.

"I-Is, um, everything okay," She paused, as if in deep thought before adding, "Kaito-san?"

He didn't much care for formalities but that was a start. Looking up at the clear sky, Kaito fell silent for a moment. He was sure Shisui didn't want to worry Sakura anymore than what was necessary, so how much should he tell her?

"Sakura-chan, how much of your past life do you remember?" He asked her, still not looking at her.

As if thinking over her answer, it took her a few minutes to respond.

"Honestly? I'm not sure." She bit her lower lip in concentration, staring down hard at the grass beneath them. "Recently, I've been having nightmares of this man. Different scenarios, same emotions."

Kaito raised a brow. "Same emotions?"

She made a sound as confirmation.

"I don't know who he is, but I feel like I should. He seems familiar; his eyes, his face. A part of me _knows _him and yet-"

"And yet?"

She sighed, her heart clenching in her chest.

"The other part, the stronger part, doesn't _want _to know him." She wrapped her arms around her body, clenching her hands into fists. "Whoever he is, however we knew each other, he scares me. The part that yearns for him _terrifies _me. But I," She swallowed thickly, tears pricking the corners of her jade orbs. "I can't shake him. I just- I _can't_."

Kaito had never seen Sakura so broken as she appeared before him now. He wanted to envelope the poor girl into his arms but he knew that wouldn't be right. It wasn't his place. Not him. With that being said, even he wasn't sure how to comfort a woman. Men were easily settled with booze and other fixations, but women, _Sakura_? He was at loss for what to do.

She began murmuring how completely terrified she was, breaking down to pieces and shattering before him. All too quickly, he had an inkling of who might be outside those walls, lurking and planning their attack. Sakura had been out of her mind with worry recently. Around the time he had caught wind that something was brewing behind the scenes of their fortress. This man that haunted her dreams, he was out there, waiting, watching.

He did his best to remain calm in front of Sakura and gingerly placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. He spoke quietly to her, assuring her safety in place of Shisui. He wasn't sure how effective they'd be, but if it helped her in any way, he would try. She cried, silently and in his presence alone. He felt for her, so confused and unsure of anything in this world with no recollection of who she really was. It surely must have been overwhelming. He couldn't even imagine.

So he sat there silently, rubbing soothing circles on her back and murmuring quietly to her. All the while, the lone figure looming over their persons went amiss.


	16. Selfish

**Chapter Sixteen; Selfish.**

* * *

He couldn't believe his eyes. Karin had been right. This woman, _Sakura_, was here. He had caught her alone and defenseless, leaning against the bark of a lone tree at the top of a hill. He could not get close enough to her without being spotted, but from his perch just outside the village, he could see that mess of pink hair easily.

What was she doing here so far from Konoha? Was she traveling alone? On a mission? Why was she wearing a kimono? What about her forehead protector showing she belonged to the Hidden Leaf? Countless questions and different scenario's ran through his mind though he could not think of a single logical explanation.

Watching her through crimson orbs, he could make out heart shaped face and her bright green eyes. She looked distressed, somehow. As if the weight of the world was on her shoulders and she was unable to gain relief. He wanted to see her, face-to-face, without anyone around, but he knew he could not. At least, not yet anyways.

Just before he decided to head back to camp, he noticed movement from the bottom of the hill and an unknown man walk up to her. Sasuke narrowed his ruby orbs at the scene, watching intently as Sakura smiled loosely at the man and offering him a seat beside her. Who was he? What did he want with her? And just how close were the two of them? Despite easily greeting each other, he could see that there was still some distance between the two of them seated.

It was probably the agitation of being unable to hear their conversation or the fact that some man decided he could become so familiar with her, that forced Sasuke to bridge the gap between him and the village. Perhaps it would be safe enough, considering there were no actual ninja's in this village and he was able to mask his chakra even if there was someone able to sense something amiss.

With all the training he's had up until this point under Orochimaru's ever watchful eye, he jumped from one tree to the next as quietly and discreetly as possible. Even his breath was barely heard even upon his own ears. He landed atop the tree the two were under and he could now clearly hear the conversation.

"Recently, I've been having nightmares of this man-"

Nightmares? She was having nightmares of someone? Looking at her more closely, he could actually make out the faint bags under her eyes and the dull light hidden behind jade orbs. She clearly had not been getting enough sleep. Sasuke clenched his jaw and listened once more.

"I don't know who he is, but I feel like I should. He seems familiar; his eyes, his face. A part of me _knows _him and yet-"

Just who was she referring to? Could it be... Him? Or perhaps someone else-

"Whoever he is, however we knew each other, he scares me. The part that yearns for him _terrifies _me. But I, I can't shake him. I just- I _can't._"

Something snapped within him and he found himself grinding his teeth together in irritation. He wanted nothing more than to kill this unknown man as well as whoever the hell she was afraid of. Whoever he was, he did not deserve her attention. Sakura was Sakura. She was _his _Sakura.

No, she wasn't his. She belonged to Konohagakure. He abandoned his home long ago. He was a criminal. And Sakura? She was far too good for him. However, he was horribly selfish. He found that out as soon as he left Konoha. He wanted power and control. He accomplished almost all of his goals with the mindset of a starved man. He relied on himself. Only thought of _himself. _

But actually seeing Sakura before him, looking far more mature and beautiful than when he left, something completely snapped within him. She had swore her undying love for him three years ago. Said she would follow him in the abyss and help him achieve his goals.

His Sharingan spun wildly as he stared down at her smiling face.

Sasuke Uchiha was unforgivably selfish, it was true. And Sakura? Well, he was just reclaiming what was rightfully his.


	17. Purgatory

**A\N: **Have I ever mentioned how much I _adore _Itachi? He's my spirit animal. *turns him into a weasel*

**Chapter Seventeen; Purgatory. **

* * *

Lately, it had been like hell for Itachi. He thought he had escaped his demons long ago when his brother had killed him, successfully quieting his past and righting his mistakes. But alast, here he was, still breathing, still living that same nightmare. As if he wasn't enough to mess with, some kami out there began to toy with Sakura as well. Why toss her into his life if she were to suffer too? It didn't seem fair.

Of course, life never was. He had learned that the hard way.

But Sakura didn't deserve any of this. By some unknown force that no one was aware of, she had forgotten her entire life's story, ultimately who she was, and was forced to live through her own hellish demons of her past self through slumber. The first time she had dove under the covers with him after waking up in a fit of unshed tears and panic, he was unable to hide his surprise.

Truthfully, he wasn't use to the close proximity of a woman; especially not in his bed. All his life it was nothing but vigorous training and relentless missions to appease his clan, his father. Later on down that road, he was far too busy with the Akatsuki and relaying information back to Konoha, he never had the time to indulge in other activities. He was never a man.

But then this girl, this simple, pink-haired woman, who's lost herself, falls into his lap and now he's unsure how to function properly. Him, Uchiha Itachi, prodigy and a blood-stained monster, unable to human correctly. It was laughable. He knew there was irony in there somewhere.

And, as if that weren't enough already, his brother has come snooping around, leaving everyone on edge. Him the most. But Sakura, she could feel something brewing behind the scenes as well and that bothered him more. What would happen if her and his brother met face to face? Would she remember who she is? Would his brother become angry with him?

Inwardly, Itachi chided himself. Of course his brother would be angry. He was suppose to be dead and running around a small village as the Headmaster and calling yourself Shisui? Your cousin and best friend? If Sasuke doesn't outright come at him with blinding rage and chidori chirping, Itachi will off himself right then and there.

He had to deal with this and he had to deal with it now. Closing his eyes, Itachi ran through multiple scenario's on how he thought each idea would play out. None of them seemed right, however, but he had to think of something.

Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind him.

"He's out there, isn't he?" Sakura called out, her tone neutral despite the situation and words spoken.

Itachi spun around and stared wordlessly back at her, unable to confirm or deny what she asked. Sakura appeared shaken up though she tried to remain as stoic as possible. Itachi knew better though. She looked frightened beyond belief; the gears in her head were turning rapidly.

"I don't know who he is, but I," She paused, clenching her hands tightly at her side. "I can feel him, somehow. He's out there, stalking the perimeter, biding his time. _Sakura _knows who he is."

Itachi frowned, slightly puzzled with her choice of words concerning herself. She continued.

"I suppose if I ask to leave the village to meet this man, you'll deny me." It wasn't a question.

Instead of listening to the voice in the back of his head that demanded he hide her away and deal with his brother alone, he reeled himself in and asked, "Do you want to meet him?"

If she was surprised by his question, she did not show it.

"You know who he is." Also not a question.

Itachi suddenly felt the weight on his shoulders and the past coming back to bite him for all his wrongdoings in life. Sighing heavily, he approached Sakura. His obsidian orbs taking all of her in. She was beautiful, striking even. He realized he had wasted so much time just caring for her when he should have been adoring her, treating her like the woman she is. Even, dare he think it, claiming her as his own.

He had never known her personally, only through stories did he ever get an inkling of who this girl was. She was bright, strong, practically motherly to her patients. (Before all of this) She became stronger through sheer will power and unimaginable training. Not for anyone else, but for herself. He had never met Lady Tsunade in person, but he's heard enough of her temper that he was surprised Sakura made it out alive.

He almost felt sorry that he drove Sasuke to abandon Konoha and seek out Orochimaru's help for power to kill him. Surely if the massacre never happened, perhaps Sakura would have had a chance with his dear little brother.

But then, they would not be here today.

Sakura's gaze softened slightly. "Itachi," She breathed, his name rolling off her tongue like a gentle caress. It sent a pleasurable shiver down his spine.

He reached out right then with both hands, cradling her face carefully. His eyes searched hers, unsure on what he was even looking for, but unable to look away. He couldn't deny her. Not of anything and definitely not of this. Itachi was a lot of things but controlling was not one of them.

Before he could second guess himself, he relented. "If that is what you wish." He spoke, his hot breath fanning her face and causing hers to flush at the contact.

She could not say anything in return and merely stood there as Itachi leaned forward, brushing his lips lightly against her forehead. As Itachi pulled away, he was unable to meet Sakura's eyes. He walked past her, refusing to look back at the one thing he didn't want to give to his little brother.

Itachi thought the past had died upon his brother's victory over him. He was ready to embrace death with a smile. And he did. But then he survived, came to this village with the chains of hell still tightly wrapped around his person. And then Sakura happened and suddenly it felt like the chains had finally begun to loosen their hold on him. But now, he could feel the pull of the devil himself, reeling him back into that void he'd fought so hard to get out of.

This was his hell.


	18. Possessive

**A\N: **You guys are the cutest. ;3

**Chapter Eighteen; Possessive. **

* * *

Despite his earlier words to Sakura, Itachi felt unimaginable anxiety allowing her to step foot out of the village and into danger. Sure, he was going to be right there with her, but just the mere thought of an ambush of any kind had Itachi on high alert.

_'It's been quite a long time since I've had to do any actual combat.' _He thought to himself as he escorted Sakura to the front gates. Of course, there may not be a fight at all but Itachi knew his brother better than that. He was going to be enraged, there was no way around that.

"Ne, Itachi?" Sakura quietly spoke up, touching his arm as they walked.

Turning to look down, he raised a questioning brow. Sakura bit her lower lip in concentration, as if choosing her words carefully.

"I know I said _she _knew who he was but, I-" She suddenly trailed off, her voice becoming smaller as she shrank behind him.

Itachi stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her fully. Barely visible, he could still manage to make out the faint shudder of her shoulders as her eyes dropped to the ground. Of course he wasn't the only one anxious about this whole ordeal; how could he have been so stupid? Itachi sighed and immediately wrapped the girl into his arms, holding her close. Lately, it had become so natural, just this simple act. Even his own heart began to slow down to the point of calm.

"Forgive me." He murmured as he stroked her hair, sinking into the feeling of her soft tresses slipping through his fingers. Sakura melted into his touch, her shoulders stilling. "First, I suppose I should ask just how much you know of him."

Sakura was silent for a brief moment and then shook her head. "Nothing, actually. The dreams weren't really specific in that sense; I'm sorry-"

Chuckling, Itachi righted his posture and took a step back to look at her, smiling in reassurance.

"There's no need to apologize, Sakura." He chided. "Perhaps we should start with me then and how I know him."

So he began to tell her the tale of the Uchiha Brothers and their once unbreakable bond. He told her of the Clan and the Village but he made sure to leave one piece of information out; the Uchiha Clan Massacre. Instead, he made up a different story that had led him out of defecting from Konohagakure and his brother coming to loathe him. Sakura listened intently, her face remaining impassive through the entire story. At first, he was concerned she would be able to see the visible gap between what he was telling her and what could have been the truth; but if she had, she did not comment on it. Itachi ended the story with how he had made it to this village and once finished, waited patiently for her to react.

What she said, however, stilled his heart and made his eyes widen.

"Arigato, Uchiha-san." She smiled. Sakura had actually _thanked _and _smiled _at him. "Your reasons are your own, so I don't intend to pry any further, but you're not a cruel man; staying by your side has shown me that much."

He was at lost for words and could only stare down at her in silence. With two outstretched fingers, she reached up and gently poked his forehead. If Itachi was dumbfounded before, he was practically mute now. Had she- Did she really just-

"You're a good man, Itachi, so-" If possible, her smile brightened even further. "Don't look so sad, okay?"

Itachi Uchiha had been called many things in his life. He had been known across the country as a monster, a killing machine. Though Itachi was many things, selfish had never been one of them. How could he be? He had done everything in life for someone else and took no credit for himself. Until the very end, he had lived his life for another. His brother was suppose to kill him and take the title of bringing the Uchiha Clan Murderer to justice. He was suppose to obtain rank in the village as a Hero.

But nothing could have prepared himself for this single woman to be carelessly thrown into his life after he should have been dead and ruin everything he stood for. Being able to come out of the final battle with Sasuke alive was one thing, having Sakura Haruno shoved into his face with all her sincerity and light was another.

"Itachi?" Her voice suddenly brought him out of his head and his obsidian orbs zeroed in on her all at once.

Impulse was quicker than he was and he found himself taking her face into his hands and crashing his lips to hers in one fell swoop. She gasped against his lips and he angled his face better to deepen the kiss and appease his inner beast that craved the touch of this woman.

Abruptly, everything came crashing down and realization dawned on him like a slap to the face. He couldn't bring his brother and Sakura together. What if she remembered something from her past? What if Sasuke got her to remember who she was and where she truly belonged? She would be taken from his life and everything that had once been lit by her very presence would not fall back into utter blackness with nothing and no one but himself.

_'Forgive me, little brother, I've given you everything but I cannot give you her.' _

Completely distracted, Sakura had fallen victim to Itachi as he found the pressure point on the back of her neck and catching her as she fell. Determination set in and he picked Sakura up bridal style, holding her carefully as he disappeared from sight.


	19. Bonds

**A\N: **I'm unsure about this chapter but here it is anyways. Enjoy! x

**Chapter Nineteen; Bonds.**

* * *

"Please watch over her, Miho-san."

Miho, who had watched him enter through the garden carrying an unconscious Sakura in his arms, said nothing as he approached her. She didn't need to say anything. She understood where he was coming from and where he will go. Like Kaito, she _understood_. Motioning him to place her under the covers of her bed, she watched as he cradled her face affectionately before leaning down and kissing her forehead.

"You love her." It wasn't a question and Itachi did not take it as one.

However, he remained unresponsive to her statement, merely staring down at the sleeping beauty, his knuckles barely caressing her skin. Miho had never seen such a carefully constricted act of adoration from her Headmaster. Though polite, he was always withdrawn from those around him, locked up tight inside, unwilling to allow anyone entrance to his deepest thoughts and his true self.

But he was not as guarded as he thought he was. His closest ally's knew better. Kaito and herself, they knew. Moving slowly to stand by his side, Miho peered down at the motionless woman with a small smile on her face. Itachi, who had been bent over her small frame, slowly looked up at her, his usual stoic expression, now clear with emotion.

"You have been strong for so long, Milord," Miho began, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You deserve this; this bliss, this feeling. You should be able to rest easy knowing this."

She didn't need to say more. Itachi knew what she was referring to. She was the only elderly woman in his life who knew of his past life. She knew who he was and had stuck by his side since coming to this village. She was his family. This village and Sakura, they were family.

Standing up from his kneeling position beside Sakura, Itachi faced Miho forwardly. "I cannot thank you enough, Miho-san, for all that you've done for me since coming to this village. I-"

But she stopped him right then, lifting her hand up to silence any further words from forming. Her smile was bright, the wrinkles around her mouth lifting as well. She was an old woman, but she was like a ray of sunshine. Like a grandmother almost.

"Do not speak as if you're not coming back."

Is that how he sounded? As the prodigy he use to be, he had not thought that was how he seemed, approaching her now. He had every intention of coming back. He couldn't very well leave now, after all; not with so much to come back to.

Inhaling sharply, Miho looked down towards Sakura as she spoke, "I do not know what awaits you outside this village, but I have faith in you, Milord. You will return and everything will be as it should be."

Itachi could only hope. Leaning forward, Itachi brushed his lips against her forehead.

"Arigato, _obaasan._"

Before she could say anything else, he was gone in a whirl of leaves.

_'Come back, Itachi, come back to us.'_

* * *

Something immediately felt off to Sasuke as he perched himself on a tall branch, overlooking the village. An uneasy feeling of anxiety washed over him as he scouted the area, looking up and down the length of the village gates, narrowing his onyx orbs suspiciously.

It had not been there before, but now he could feel a small wave of familiarity catch his attention. He grit his teeth, unbelieving at first. It couldn't be, it didn't make any sense. The chakra spike was weak, he probably would have missed it if he were any less of a ninja, but it was there. His blood began to run cold as his eyes bled crimson. There was no way. _No-_

A black bird suddenly appeared in his face, cawing loudly and snapping him out of his thoughts. He stumbled back in surprise, nearly losing his footing. He would not have paid it any mind, however, as the bird turned its head, looking almost sinister as it glared at him, he saw it.

The Sharingan.


	20. Ambush

**A\N: **Holy crap, 20 chapters in already?! Thank you for the response with this story. It means a lot. x :)

**Chapter Twenty; Ambush.**

* * *

After having left Miho's, Itachi had teleported to the outskirts of the village. Despite having the mind of a prodigy, Itachi was unsure how he could approach Sasuke without startling him or any of his teammates he appeared to have with him. He couldn't very well just come out and reunite with his younger brother as if their fight to the death hadn't meant anything at all. However, his brother was not a child. And Itachi was aware he had learned the truth from Madara soon after his supposed 'death'.

But that ultimately begged the question; how would Sasuke approach him? Unarmed? Angry? The possibilities were infinite and Itachi did not much care for the unknown. Unfortunately, without any other plausible option, he had to make haste. Sasuke was never known for his patience and he assumed that had not changed since childhood.

Summoning his crow, he watched as it cawed loudly, flying far above his head before heading out of the village and to its destination; he was not far behind.

* * *

Karin groaned obnoxiously, stretching her hands above her head and huffing to herself. Jugo, who wasn't the least bit interested in anything around him, sat off to the side, watching the birds with a careless smile on his face. In this form, he wasn't a total pain to be around. However-

"Could you be any louder, cow? You'll alert the enemy."

At this, Karin gritted her teeth and flashed a dangerous glare at their annoying teammate. No one heard Jugo sigh to himself.

"Why did Sasuke-kun leave me to babysit _you_?! I should have gone with him! I'm of more help to him than-"

Suigetsu scoffed, rolling his eyes. "_You _of any help to Sasuke? _Don't make me laugh. _I betcha get off on him biting you when he needs to be healed, huh? Don'tcha?"

Karin spluttered for a response but quickly came up short and was left gawking at Suigetsu with her mouth open. He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Nothing but a two cent whor-"

Stomping up to him, she poked him harshly in his chest, daring him to speak against her. "What was that, shark-boy?!"

Before he could retaliate, there was a loud laugh above their heads, halting any further insults to be thrown. Jugo was the first to turn and scan the trees for any sign of an intruder but quickly came up short. There was no chakra signature. The laughter continued after a moment and then a voice sounded through the clearing.

"Ya'll are that boy's lackey's?" It spoke, amusement laced in their voice. "How pitiful."

Already irritated by her teammate, Karin was not in the mood for an ambush. "_Who's there? Show yourself!_" Her loud vocals pierced the air and sounded off all the trees and rocks around them. Jugo and Suigetsu remained silent, observing their surroundings as they prepared for a fight.

"That _Uchiha_ truly is the devil in disguise, I believe. You'll have to excuse me, it's nothing personal. You lot are just not needed any longer. Sweet dreams, _friends_."

It had happened all too fast for any of them to see. One minute they were on guard and the next, pained screams filled the forest.

* * *

Blood.

That's all she could see. The metallic stench of a crimson red substance filled the air and wafted through her senses, nearly causing her to gag in response. How strange, when all that surrounded her was complete darkness. What had she been doing beforehand? Wasn't she outside? Outside-

_Itachi!_

Without success, Sakura struggled to regain consciousness, to breathe purified air; She needed to wake up and she needed to wake up _now_. Why had he knocked her out? Why couldn't he give her what she needed to remember _something _of her old self? If, of course, that was who she was. She wanted to scream in anger, to hit something, _break _something. But even more than that, she wanted to know the truth. The truth about her existence, her presence in this world, about this unknown boy, and about Itachi himself.

Sakura pleaded with herself to wake up, to move, _anything_.

All of a sudden, there was a bright light that blinded her, forcing her to snap her eyes shut to prevent further pain; and then, a familiar voice.

"Jeez, what idiots. What is it with an Uchiha that makes them think they have to take on the world alone?"

_'What? Who is that?' _She thought to herself, trying to open her eyes as best she could. The shining light was warm to her skin, almost like the sun.

"Hmm?" The voice sounded much closer than it was before, but she could not open her eyes fully. "You've done well, my other self."

_'Who are you?' _Is what she wanted to say, but the words only vibrated in her head, unable to form on her tongue. However, it seemed this person speaking to her could understand her clearly as if said aloud.

"I'm sorry, all of this must be confusing to you. I know it was bad for me in the beginning. But," The voice got nearer, if possible. An odd warmth touched her cheek and all at once, it felt like her body relaxed under their touch and her mind stilled completely. She felt calm and serenity set in and she was no longer afraid.

"I understand now and I think you will, too."

What did that even mean? Sakura, confused still, remained motionless as she listened to the soft voice, lulling her to somewhere else entirely.

"I think it's time for us to wake up, _Sakura_." The voice giggled. "How strange, calling you that." Suddenly there was another bright light, but something much colder enveloping her from behind. "I mean, _I'm_-"

And then, she was gone.


	21. Betrayal

**A\N: **Sorry for the delay. Finals killed me.

**Chapter Twenty-one; Betrayal.**

* * *

"You're not real."

There was no way he was here. He may have fallen unconscious after their battle but he was sure of it; Itachi was _dead_. So then, how was it possible that the person who was standing before him, although clad in a simple kimono, looking calm and collected was his older brother? Sasuke wanted to fall at his feet and he would have, as the energy left his body and he felt his knees tremble underneath him.

Itachi remained impassive, however, and allowed Sasuke to process this new information on his own. Truthfully, he just didn't know what to say either. What could he say? He couldn't even fathom a single thought that would make anything okay or right. In the end, saying nothing was probably better than saying the wrong thing.

"But-" He went on, his fingers twitching to reach out. "Madara said that-"

At this, Itachi narrowed his eyes, inwardly cursing that single name. But it was as if time had suddenly reversed and the flow of everything around them had stilled. Sasuke had reverted to that innocent child from all those years ago, craving attention from anyone willing to give it. He wrapped his arms around himself, his shoulders shaking as tears threatened to fall. It looked like he was struggling with himself, internally willing himself not to cry out. Itachi's shoulders sank and his gaze softened considerably. Taking the necessary strides, Itachi enveloped his little brother into his arms, pulling him close.

"Y-You're not-" He whispered, choking on his own words as he tried to speak.

Finally, Itachi spoke, "I'm here, brother. I'm alive."

Sasuke just about came undone in Itachi's arms.

* * *

When Sakura had finally woke up, she felt something wet on her face. She bolted upright and gasped for air, as if she had not breathed it in awhile. She had been suffocating before, she was sure of it. As she filled her lungs with oxygen, Miho had suddenly barged into the room, looking worriedly down at her.

"Are you okay, my dear?" She asked, coming to her side and touching her face.

It only took her a moment to realize she had been crying in her sleep. Her shoulders shook as she moved to wipe her face, untangling herself from the blankets that had wrapped themselves around her in a vice-like grip, preventing her from escape.

"No, no, Sakura-chan, you should rest some more. Itachi, he-"

Abruptly, everything had come crashing down around her and she forced her way out of the bed and shook off Miho's hand.

"Where is he?!" She yelled, her tone reaching a new level of severity.

Miho flinched, standing up.

"Please, Sakura-"

Without warning, a gust of wind shook the entire room and pushed the old woman away. Braving the sudden force, Sakura strained herself against the wind, looking towards the fallen woman. She tried to reach for her, but a cold force enveloped her body, pulling her back.

"Do you want to see Itachi?" The voice asked, breathing down her neck. "Then I shall take you to him, _Sa-ku-ra_."

Behind them, she could hear Miho screaming but her mind had gone blank as she felt something hit the back of her neck.

* * *

Cold black eyes watched with amusement as the Uchiha brothers reunited.

"Milord."

Smirking, said man cloaked in darkness looked briefly over his shoulder. An unconscious Sakura was laid before him.

"I wonder how far into despair they'd fall once they realize their precious cherry blossom is missing."

The sinister laughter that followed could have easily shaken the earth. Kaito remained silent.


	22. Kaito

**A\N: **I'm so late. I'm sorry.

**Chapter Twenty-two; Kaito.**

* * *

When Miho had gathered her bearings, she immediately set to work. Captain Kaito had betrayed them. She had to tell Lord Shisui right away! Making quick work of a letter, she bit into her thumb, drawing little blood, and summoning her hawk. She couldn't perform high class jutsu's, but she was grateful for this small ability she seemed to still carry within her.

"Madam?" Her summon questioned, cocking its head to the side.

"Karla, _please_," She coughed out, still shaken up from before. "Find Lord Shisui-sama and give this note to him! It's urgent!"

Karla did not have to be told twice as Miho tied the note to her leg and she was out the window in the same breath.

_'Please be safe, Sakura. Please'_

* * *

After successfully taking care of their little problem, Kaito had quickly made it back to base, silently praying his Lord didn't violate Sakura any further than what was necessary. He knew he didn't have any right to worry about her safety, considering he was the one who abducted her in the first place, but he'd be lying if he said the pink-haired woman hadn't grown on him in the time they'd known each other. He actually quite fancied her, but that was a whole other story entirely.

Once he made it back to their hideout, he briefly explained the situation to his Leader before departing from the room and making his way to the room Sakura was currently being held up in. When he opened the door, however, he narrowly dodged a vase filled with roses that was aimed directly at his head.

"_You!_" Sakura sneered, the sound quite unladylike but he could understand her anger.

"Forgive me, Sakura-chan, I can imagine your discomfort right now but-"

Again, a foreign object was thrown carelessly at his head. It was a book he had left her before she woke up in case she got bored and he easily caught it before it hit his face. Kaito sighed, placing the book on the desk next to the door. Sakura was huddled in the far corner diagonal from him, wearing a look of pure betrayal and rage directed straight at him.

Honestly, he felt awful that he had to go about things in this way, but it couldn't have been helped. But it wasn't like he could tell her that.

"_He trusted you! You were his friend and he trusted you and-_" Her words were coming out fast and strained, tears threatening to fall from her eyes and something snapped inside him.

Clenching his jaw, he turned away from her. "You think I don't know that? You think this is easy for me, Sakura?"

She did not miss the lack of honorifics in her name nor the cold way he spoke to her. He was not finished.

"I struggled with the truth for as long as I can remember. Knowing that I would eventually hurt and betray my dearest _friend_. I knew who he was the entire time; I knew that I had a mission to complete and yet-" He paused, glaring daggers at the wall as if that would help ease the ache he felt deep inside. "I didn't plan for things to go this way. I didn't plan for you to fall into his life or even mine..."

Without having to look at her, he could tell he had captured her attention. His hands balled into fists at his side as he continued.

"It wasn't suppose to be this way. Not in the beginning. But, _you, _Sakura, you made it so much harder because I couldn't _see _Itachi for what he'd done to cause all of this."

Suddenly, she spoke up. "What are you talking about? What did he cause and why are you blaming me?!"

This time, he turned his head sharply to look at her. Her pale pink hair, doe-like green orbs as soft as the grass after it rains; it was all so mesmerizing and he knew he was being selfish now. Instead of answering her, his body moved of its own accord. He stalked up to her, ignoring the way her eyes flashed as if in warning, and he grabbed her face with both of his hands, cradling it gently. His eyes sought hers, as if looking for something. Anything, though he wasn't sure.

She spoke again, whispering his name, though it fell from her lips like acid. She wasn't amused and he, not trying to be funny as he remained silent, observing her.

After a long moment, Kaito finally found the words he needed to say, the words he felt Sakura needed to hear.

"I wasn't sure in the beginning," He began, moving his head ever so closer. Sakura's body locked in place, her eyes going wide in realization. "But I can see it now; the attraction."

_'Forgive me, Itachi, I think I, too, am-'_

"So tantalizing, _Sa-ku-ra_."

Immediately parting her lips, she began to speak his name in a hurry but his lips had sealed hers before any sound could come out. His tongue met hers with such ferocity, he felt himself grow dizzy with desire.

The moment had been cut too short as Sakura sank her teeth into his lower lip and shoved herself away from. She darted over the bed to the other side of the room, staring at him with fear in her eyes as she hugged herself. Kaito wiped his lip with the pad of his thumb, eyeing her wordlessly before smirking and moving towards the door.

"Do not fret, Sakura-chan, our obstacle shall be out of our way soon enough." He deadpanned, locking the door behind him as he left.

_"Kaito!" _

* * *

_"Do you hate them, boy?" _

_He felt incredibly numb as he stared long and hard, though lifeless at his burning village that had been raided only hours beforehand. The fire was still strong, despite how long it had been. _

_"Are you angry?"_

_He should have ran faster. He should have been there to fight off the attack. He should have done_ something_._

_"You should hate them. No one would blame you. They took the lives of your family, your friends; all of the people you grew up with, laughed with, lived with. You _can_ hate them, you know." _

_Kaito's eyes began to lift towards the voice beside him, the one feeding him life despite the void still eating away at him. Who was this man and how could he trust him? How could he-_

_"Come with me, boy, and you'll never have to be alone again." _

_That had only been part of it. _

_"Come with me,_ Kaito, _and we'll make them pay for what they've done."_

_He had been sold by those words._

_"You have my word."_

_And there was no going back. He would shatter the Uchiha Clan and reclaim what was stolen from him, even if it meant working with the devil himself. Completely out of it as he forced himself to his feet, he wasn't aware of the single sharingan spinning wildly down at him._


	23. Fear

**A\N: **Is it possible to apologize for the lack of update? No? Okay...

**Chapter Twenty-three; Fear.**

* * *

Things had quieted down soon enough after Sasuke was given ample time to grasp reality and sit still long enough for Itachi to explain himself. Unfortunately, the words he spoke of were not what Sasuke had been waiting for.

"I wish our battle had all been a ploy for you to seek your revenage," Itachi stated, unflinching. "However, it was not. I should have died that night; I had planned to die."

Sasuke's jaw tightened, his onyx orbs narrowing at his older brother's reflective attitude.

"You had _planned _for me to kill an innocent man? And not just _any _man, but my _brother_, my _family_?!" Itachi stood patiently, waiting for his brother to release the rest of his aggravation out on him. He deserved it.

"You may have massacred the Clan, but you were going to leave me _alone _with this information and then what? Huh?! What was I going to do after that?!"

Technically, Sasuke wasn't ever suppose to know the truth behind his actions. That was Madara's fault.

"You would have started your own family, Sasuke. You would have made the Uchiha Clan reborn, started over. I wasn't worried, little brother."

Again, those were not the words Sasuke wanted to hear.

"_You're my family, _Itachi! It's always been _you_!" He screamed, his emotions that cleverly hid away, were now written across his face like pen to paper. "I would've been fine with just you. The rest would have came eventually, but you?" His voice broke and he casted his eyes downward, unable to meet Itachi's eyes. "No one could fill your shoes..."

It was quiet after that, the silence just as tense as it had been the last time they had seen each other on the battlefield. Itachi held no words for his younger brother, nothing would suffice and that caused him to sigh deeply.

Finally, Itachi parted his lips to speak. "I know I don't deserve it nor should I even be asking for such a thing, however, I implore you to find it in yourself to forgive me. Do you recall the last thing I ever said to you?"

How could he forget?

"I have and always will love you, Sasuke. That has not, nor ever will, change." The gentle tone of his older brother was sickening, because all Sasuke wanted to do was be angry with him. He shouldn't be feeling all of this guilt. Not now.

Before anything else could be said, a bird flew down to approach the Uchiha brothers, startling Sasuke. He jumped back, reaching for his sword across his back before Itachi held out a hand to stop him.

"Karla?" He questioned, confusion lacing his voice. This was Miho's hawk; but what was she doing here?

"Lord Shisui-sama, Madam summoned me to find you! There's been an attack!"

Sasuke looked at his brother sharply. Shisui?

Ignoring his brother's pointed look, Itachi carefully retrieved the note attached to Karla's leg and read the contents of the letter to himself. His obsidian orbs grew wide and his face paled as he reread the letter twice more.

"Brother?" Sasuke asked, stepping forward.

Itachi narrowed his eyes, his sharingan activating and spinning wildly in white, hot anger. "_Kaito_." He snarled.

* * *

_Darkness._

Sakura had curled up in the corner of her prison, her arms wrapped tightly around legs, her knees under her chin. It was weird, while she felt like she _could _cry her eyes out right now, she didn't. Her body was cold and numb, straining against her, trying to get her to stretch out the kinks she was beginning to feel in certain places. She did not move. Even her breathing was slow, only taking oxygen when the need became too great. She remained impassive long after Kaito had left the room. She didn't think nor speak. Barely even blinked, her body frozen. Her jade orbs were trained straight ahead, staring at nothing in particular.

And she waited. It could have been ten minutes or an entire hour. She wasn't sure nor did she care. She merely waited and waited and waited some more. Nothing broke her mindset and no one came in to speak with her.

And she waited again. This could have went on for hours still. But nothing happened and she did not move.

* * *

They were dead. Suigetsu and Jugo. They were both dead.

Karin blinked back the onslaught of tears she could feel threatening to escape past her eye lids, pushing her body to carry her further. Just a little further.

_Cold eyes and a howl of laughter._

_"For ninja's, I expected a little better than that. And you lot came from Orochimaru? How pathetic."_

They had been ambushed but a _single_ man! Karin clenched her eyes closed, stumbling a few times as she forced her body to keep moving. Her ankle was completely shattered, her ribs were crushed and she struggled for air. He had moved fast. Too fast for any of them to see. His attack was something she had only heard of the Akatsuki Leader possessing. That man was not a ninja. He couldn't have been.

_'P-Please, Sasuke-kun- Where are you!?' _She screamed internally as she fell forward, tripping over herself and landing soundly to the ground. She hissed as pain shot through her body, her tears finally spilling over.

Abruptly, a voice sounded from behind her. "Oops, looks like I missed one."


	24. Plea

**A\N: **So I already wrote out the end of this story, accidentally to be honest, but I can't wait until you all read it because it actually kind of made me tear up and I think you guys will like it as well. Until then, please enjoy another chapter of _Our Life Thus Far._

**Chapter Twenty-four; Plea.**

* * *

Her whole body felt cold as she sat against the wall, for kami knows how long, until she heard the faint footsteps from outside the door of the room she was being held in. Even when an unknown man wearing a heavy, black cloak, walked in and closed the door behind him, she did not move nor make eye contact.

"Such manners for a young woman," The man remarked sarcastically, coming to stand in front of her. Still, her eyes remained focused at his feet. "And such disrespect, too. I mean, have we treated you anything less than the lady you are?"

His question was rhetorical, she was sure. He couldn't honestly believe kidnapping a girl and getting butthurt when she ignored him was a sign of _disrespect_, could he? Of course, she wouldn't have held her breath. Clearly, both this man and Kaito were out of their minds.

When she did not respond, the man sighed and squatted to her level. Even still, she did not look up at him. However, her shoulders grew rigid as she waited for the inevitable. He reached out suddenly, placing a gloved hand on the top of her head and began stroking her hair, almost affectionately.

Sakura bit in the inside of her cheek, silently pleading with herself to not react rashly. She was no match for this man and any sign of hostility would most likely cost her her life. Abruptly, his finger entangled into her hair and shoved her head back with such force that the back of her head collided with the wall, making her see stars for a split second.

"P-Please-" She muttered pathetically, tears threatening to fall as her eyes met the masked man.

A crimson eye met her scared jade orbs and she knew death awaited her. She was sure he was smirking behind that hideous mask of his, that only showed his right eye. It seemed familiar, somehow, as if she had bore witnessed to these same eyes once before. However, nothing really came to mind as he peered down at her face with malicious intent.

"Such fragility," He commented, stroking her hair once more with his thumb. She still appeared dazed and he found himself chuckling despite himself. "I can see the appeal, but you don't look quite yourself." He hummed quietly, still a hairs breath away from her.

"P-Please," She tried again, blinking back the onslaught of tears she could feel prickling behind her eye lids. "I-I'm not who y-you think I am."

At this, the masked man cocked his head to the side thoughtfully. "Oh? And who might you be then, hm?"

Words had completely died on her tongue and all Sakura could do was stare up at him mutely. What could she possible say that could help her situation? All these men were insane and telling them that she wasn't this person who they thought her to be didn't help her case either. If anything, it made her appear even more out of this world than the rest of them.

When she hadn't spoken, he retracted his hand from the knots of her bright, pink hair and then began smoothing down the strays as he whispered, "Allow me to let you in on a little secret, just between you and I, my dear-"

Sakura was completely helpless as she awaited his verdict, awaiting for something drastic to be dropped down upon her out of thin air. The life behind her eyes slowly began to fade out as the crushing reality set in.

"_No one is going to make it out of this alive."_

* * *

All the confusion Sasuke had felt upon seeing his brother still alive and kicking only intensified when he found out that he was also under the guise of their deceased cousin. And if that wasn't all that was going on, it appeared that some freak show named Kaito had kidnapped Sakura and now the Uchiha brothers were off on some hunt to try and find the bastards that had such an audacity.

However, life was a lot more cruel than the both of them had anticipated.

"Karin-" He barely spoke her name before his spinning, red orbs caught sight of the vast amount of blood littering the grass and the trees.

"Sasuke." Itachi stated, his tone far from gentle, but Sasuke understood nonetheless.

This was not the time to break down and rage. He knew who had done this and with no sight of the rest of his team, he could only surmise that they were dead as well.

"When this is over, I give you my word that we will collect their bodies and give them all a proper burial."

He wanted to argue with his brother, saying he knew not of his feelings about his teammates, but the task at hand was far greater than the emotions he tried desperately to reel in. Now was not the time nor place for a mental breakdown.

_'Later.' _He insisted, clenching and unclenching his jaw.

With a quick nod to Itachi, they set off once more in the direction they could practically _taste _the raw energy leading them towards war. Itachi's eyes were trained on the road ahead as they both picked up speed, their feet barely touching the branches of the trees they propelled themselves off of every now and again.

_'I'm coming, Sakura. Please-' _Itachi's sharingan spun wildly in a fit of pent up fury.

The gears in his head were turning in every which way, trying to decide how he was going to string Kaito's head above the village. Perhaps he should have seen this coming, Itachi was no stranger to betrayal. But this? Kaito had practically sealed his fate.

But it didn't end there. Kaito was many things, but having thought out a plan to such an extent? No, someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes and from what he had learned from his brother, Itachi could only speculate who that master puppeteer was.

Itachi Uchiha was a prodigy way back when. A genius beyond words and his speculations were never wrong. He was bound to run into him sooner or later, to finish what had been started all those years ago back with the Uchiha massacre.

As the view began to clear and Sasuke had begun to take stride with his eldest brother, Itachi's mind had conjured up the one person he thought he wouldn't have had to face.

The masked man with a single, ever spinning, sharingan eye.


	25. Kaguya

**A\N: **This is a weird chapter. Please bare with me.

**Disclaimer; **Does _not _follow original Naruto series at all. The final battle never occurred and Kaguya (being a celestial being and all) does not resemble anything of the original character from the series. I just liked the name.

**Chapter Twenty-five; Kaguya.**

* * *

"God_dammit!_" Sakura hissed, banging her fists against the door in a fit of rage.

Whatever type of room she was in, her chakra was useless here and thus, all of her power to get out of this godforsaken room were left in vain. Slowly, she sank to the floor, her knees holding her weight as she steadied herself with her hands against the surface of the door.

_'Why?' _She asked herself, narrowed eyes directed at her feet. _'Why am I so powerless?!'_

By now, she was sure Itachi had heard of her disappearance and yet, she did not want him to find her. From what she had gathered with Kaito and the masked man, things were not going to end well for any of them.

_"No one is going to make it out of this alive."_

His earlier words rang clear in her mind, as if he were still speaking them to her right here and now. To keep her anger at bay, she snapped her eyes shut and pushed herself away from the door.

She did not care what happened to her, but she needed to make sure Itachi was alright, that he _would_ be alright.

"What? All tuckered out from your pointless struggle?" Came a voice from behind her, on the other side of the door.

Sakura felt her blood drain from her veins as she spun on her heel to glower at the door and the person she pictured behind it.

"Ya know," The voice called again, capturing her attention with ease. "I could let you out of this room-"

The invitation was open and in the air as he allowed her to contemplate his offer. Without having to look at him, she could tell through his tone of voice that what he wanted of her was far greater than any vast amount of fortune bestowed upon him. At this revelation, Sakura fell quiet. Her body ran cold, as if the blood in her veins chilled to the point of frozen.

This vile man, how could she not have noticed sooner?

"Well, Sakura-chan?" Kaito's tongue clicked in amusement, awaiting for a response.

Suddenly, all her energy vanished and she was left with nothing but the empty feeling of regret that consumed her.

"What happened to you?" She asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

At first, she wasn't sure if he had heard her fore he had said nothing in retort, but after a moment, his reply was as obnoxious as she pictured his face to be beyond this door that separated them.

"Can you not accept my infatuation with you, Sakura-chan? Is that why you're pulling teeth?"

Rolling her eyes, she stepped forward. "What I can't accept is someone who claimed to be such good friends with Itachi and yet, here we are!"

"Oh?" He cackled, the sound ripping through her ear drums causing her to grimace. "We're back to this again, are we?"

Slamming her hands against the door, she screamed, "We never dropped it!"

It was quiet after that outburst and for a moment, Sakura thought he had left again. But if she listened carefully, she could make out the sound of small breaths from behind the door. He was still there, waiting for something and that irked her even further.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Sakura heard a small shift before his response.

"What could you possibly understand? You, a girl that fell from the Heavens themselves? You know nothing about war and the lives it costs."

"Kaito," She started before falling silent immediately afterwards. What could she say? He was right. This Haruno Sakura knew nothing of the life of battle on either side of the field. This wasn't her fight, she was never suppose to be a part of this.

_"Ne, Saku-chan, did you get the homework from Asuma-sensai?" _

Without warning, Sakura's head began to throb painfully as different images flashed in her mind. Grunting at the sudden intrusion, Sakura stumbled backwards.

_"God, I don't know __how she does it but Tsunade-sensai's boobs always look like they're gonna spill out, ya know!" _

More images, this time, of people she couldn't recall ever meeting. Their clothes were different, nothing like she had seen here. Except, familiar somehow. There was a sudden knock on the door, signalling that Kaito had not left yet, his voice being carried through the door.

"Sakura-chan?"

Suddenly feeling sick, Sakura fell to the floor, cupping her head in her hands to try and calm the nausea she felt overwhelming her. As if hearing her fall to the floor, Kaito unlocked the door and came to her side, holding her shoulders and shaking her slightly.

"Sakura-chan, what's wrong?!"

The images were flickering now, in and out of her sight, all of different sceneries she couldn't quite recall ever seeing before. Her vision blurred momentarily, her jade orbs glazing over as she tried to steady herself. Kaito's voice had then become a distant background noise at that point. Finally, there was a new face, quite different than those she had seen before and wearing a grand kimono that looked far too big for her.

_'Princess?' _She wondered absently, still feeling the effects of nausea overwhelming her.

She was a beautiful woman, dressed in fine robes, and with long black hair that she easily could've been stepping on. Her face lightly touched up with makeup that hadn't a prayer of doing her natural beauty any justice. What really caught her eye, was the golden light that seemed to surround her. And then, she spoke. Her voice like gentle bells, blowing in the soft breeze.

_"Forgive me, Sakura-san. For my careless mistake, I've caused you both a great deal of pain, and-" _She paused for a moment, giving Sakura ample amount of time to collect her thoughts, but unable to hide her shock nonetheless. _"As I've promised her, so I shall promise you, my dear-" _

Before she could ask what she meant or even who she was, a blinding light consumed them both until all she saw afterwards, was darkness.

* * *

They were close, alarmingly close; Sasuke figured, as the air around them became denser and he felt his brother starting to pick up the pace even further. As he trailed behind him, Sasuke watched Itachi with earnest. There was more than a handful of questions he had for his brother, so much time that had been lost because he thought him to be dead, and having him here practically in his grasp? It didn't feel like enough.

But now with Sakura in the clutches of a mad man, Sasuke wondered just what side Itachi considered himself on. He hadn't realized they had ever been close, considering he didn't have a lot to go on anyways, but it seemed a little too _odd _for his liking, and there were many odd things in his life. Sure, Itachi knew something about this Kaito figure to want to chase him down, but there seemed to be more to the story than he was letting on and that bothered him more than he cared to admit.

After another moment passed in tense silence, Sasuke knew he had to bring up the obvious if they were going to be the only two going into this fight. And from what he gathered thus far, Itachi did not have reinforcements.

"I hope you have a better plan than this, brother!" He yelled up after him, picking up his pace slightly to jump beside him.

Before Itachi could say anything, however, another voice sounded from before them, causing Uchiha brothers to land upon a branch just meters from their intruder.

"Yes, _Itachi-kun, _I do hope you have something better up your sleeve than straight charging into your demise."

Sasuke's form tensed at the voice as Itachi snarled, "Madara!"

The spinning eye wheel was proof enough as he chuckled in amusement. The familiar Akatsuki cloak blew gently against the breeze.

"In the _flesh, _my boy."


	26. Time

**A\N: **Sorry for the delay. I had kind of a writers block for awhile now and I thought I could try and get over it by rewatching the Naruto series and it sort of helped, except I have a whole new idea for another Naruto fic making its way to the forefront of my mind and it's a little overwhelming. However, I'm forcing myself to put it off so I can finish the stories I have now that are in desperate need of an update.

**Chapter Twenty-six; Time. **

* * *

"Where's Sakura?!"

Madara could have laughed at the hilarity of the situation. This was surely not how he pictured things turning out when he enlisted the help of the younger Uchiha brother after he had seemingly killed off Itachi. Now, he stood before him, poised and deadly, crimson orbs narrowed dangerously at his person. Surely, he would have learned his lesson and realized, the student always surpasses the teacher.

Or something poetic of the sort.

"Well, let's see," He drawled, crossing his arms over his chest in mock thought. "If I'm correct, and I usually am, your precious Cherry Blossom _should _be well on her way in the arms of your Captain."

Itachi's blood ran cold. Sasuke peered at his brother quietly.

"_However, _Sakura-san is quite the spit-fire. I'm sure she hasn't gone without a fight."

If that appeased the Uchiha brother's curiosity, they didn't show it.

While Itachi's entire body screamed to unleash hell against this man, he knew he didn't have time to waste. Before he could make his move, Sasuke stepped forward.

"Why are you here, Madara?"

Said masked man looked back at the youngest Uchiha with interest, cocking his head to the side.

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean, Sasuke-kun." He replied, his tone light and teasing, just as Itachi remembered Tobi to act like.

Annoyed with the mind games, Sasuke said nothing further before he launched himself off the tree branch and grabbed for his sword at his back. Madara was quick, as he knew he would be with such a calm and intimidating demeanor. He moved with barely anticipated footsteps, dodging and weaving just out of reach of Sasuke's blade.

"Itachi!" Sasuke called over his shoulder, briefly flicking his gaze to meet his brothers. "Find Sakura, I'll keep Madara busy!"

Itachi said nothing as he flashed out of view, not needing further instructions to do as he pleased. His brother was strong. He held no doubt he would make out of there alive. However-

"Keep me busy?" Marada chuckled, dodging another swing from Sasuke.

All of a sudden, he disappeared from in front of him. Sasuke barely had time to catch himself before Madara was at his back, his words no more than a whisper as he spoke.

"Boy, I'd like to see you try."

And then, an explosion.

* * *

Even when he heard the fight starting behind him, Itachi did not once look back. He couldn't, not when Sakura could very well be at death's door, unable to defend herself, no matter how much of her past life, before her memory loss, she recalled.

He pleaded with his feet to carry him further; faster, faster. His heart rate had accelerated to a speed he wasn't unfamiliar with, but plenty of doctors had warned him against such exertion.

None of it mattered. Not now. Not when Sakura-

Itachi's jaw clenched, his sharingan spinning wildly as he flew through the forest at neck-breaking speed he'd later regret.

_'Sakura-' _Her bright smile, her piercing green eyes, and beautiful long hair came to mind.

Just a little further.

Her body in the hands of another sent him reeling with barely controlled rage as he pressed on, his body willing him to break, but he couldn't. Not again.

-x-x-x-x-

_"Ne, Itachi-san?"_

_He had continuously told her there wasn't a need for formalities, but time and time again, she used them without regard. He smiled down at her from where he sat, still having a few inches of height on her, even sitting._

_"What do you think will happen once my memories return?" _

_The question had caught him off guard. Of course, why wouldn't it? The thought hadn't even crossed his mind, even when time went on and they grew closer. The way he saw it, Sakura was Sakura. She was always going to be a part of his life, of the lives of this village. _

_She continued, "I mean, surely I had a life before I came here, right?" After she realized her mistake, Sakura back-peddled and gave him an apologetic look, one that spoke volumes. "N-Not like I don't have a life now, I mean-"_

_At this, Itachi chuckled. The blush that lit up Sakura's face was almost too precious as he laid a large hand atop her head, ruffling her pink locks. _

_"When that time comes, we'll be there for you, Sakura. Just like we always have and just like we always will." Even if the thought of her leaving left a certain gut-wrenching feeling to his stomach. _

_Turning away from his ever watchful gaze, Sakura stared out into the distance, a foreign look passing over her face. Itachi frowned. _

_"It just," She paused, as if choosing her words carefully. "Doesn't seem like there's enough time in the day..." She trailed off, leaving Itachi to stare down at her wordlessly. _

_Whatever he thought to say to her, to comfort her, died on his tongue as she got up and held out a hand for him to take. _

_"But, guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, eh, Lord Shisui-sama?" _

_She was teasing him now, that much he digressed as she winked down at him, her soft hair blowing gently in the breeze as she waited for him to take her hand. And he did. And he would. A thousand times over if it put a smile on her face and her worries to rest. _

_If there wasn't enough time, Itachi Uchiha would make time. Of that, he swore. _

* * *

Keep an eye on her, she said. _I shan't be long_, she said. But did she ever ask if she _could_?! Of course not, because Kaguya was a celestial being and celestial beings didn't give a rats ass about your feelings!

A sudden groan from beside her brought her out of her thoughts and panning down to see forest green eyes straining themselves to open.

"Hey, keep still, alright?" She tried for comfort, steadying her as she tried to sit up. "You're gonna be a little disoriented; that's normal." _Or as normal as it can be when a celestial being is controlling your body and you're left to mingle with the deepest parts of your own mind. _

"W-What're you talking about?"

Sakura Haruno came face to face with the last person she'd ever expect to see... Her inner self.

Jade clashed with jade. Pieces of bright, pink hair catching her view as she stared up at her reflection.

Right? That's what she was looking at?

"Y-Y-You-"

Before she could scream, Inner Sakura slapped her hand across her mouth to keep her silent.

"Listen, I can explain everything-" _Well, I can't, but- _"I just need you to promise me you won't scream, okay? Kaguya can't lose focus otherwise you'll be right back in your shitty predicament, got it?"

More confusion. More looks. Inner Sakura could have face-palmed.

"Just nod if you understand."

And she did, after another moment of weird looks and furrowed brows. Inner Sakura sighed and waited another few seconds before releasing her hold on her.

"Jeez, you've only been here for a short while and you've already attracted such a bad crowd. I mean, even _I _controlled myself better than that." She complained, rolling her eyes. But after a moment, her shoulders fell and she looked down at herself, _how weird did that sound?, _and smiled reassuringly.

"Well, we do have some time to kill, so why don't I tell you a little story, _my other half." _


	27. Dimensions

**A\N: **Not many chapters left of this story... I feel sad, almost.

**Chapter Twenty-seven; Dimensions.**

* * *

"Ne, Saku-chan?"

Coming out of her thoughts, Sakura turned her head minimally to look towards the voice who called out to her.

It had all been quite a shock in the beginning. When Sakura had woken up on the other side, she had spiraled out of control. Everything was so different, so out of the ordinary. No longer were there forest and trees surrounding a village; no, now it was a modern city, filled with carriages on wheels. She was no longer a shinobi, under any sense of the word.

"I think she's lost it now, Hinata." Another voice spoke, this one a lot more irritated and flat than the previous one.

"A-Ah, Yamanaka-san, don't say such things." The voice countered before addressing her once more. "Sakura-chan, are you alright?"

Everything was the same and yet, completely different.

"You're not funny, pig." She retorted suddenly, focusing her jade orbs back on the duo in front of her.

Ino smirked and Hinata giggled, continuing to walk in front of her. Their school uniforms, that of a sailor style, moved along with them.

* * *

_"Please forgive me, Sakura-san. You were not meant to be effected so greatly."_

_Truthfully, she was appalled. Just what did this woman mean? Her entire life had been flipped on its back and she wasn't suppose to be effected so _greatly_?! _

_"I can see you're still unsure about this entire ordeal-"_

_She snorted, rolling her eyes. "That's putting it lightly."_

_Kaguya smiled calmly, amusement dancing behind her clear, wide eyes. "But rest assured, this is not permanent. Anything that's been brought forth can be undone."_

_At this, Sakura fell silent. She hadn't understood it at first; waking up in her bed only to be faced with a room she had never seen before a day in her life. It was all too modern, too strange. Her window no longer overlooked the Konoha streets, but rather, a side street with bicycles and people walking back and forth in weird clothes. When her mother had walked in to wake her up for breakfast, she seemed younger, somehow, radiant and not as she remembered her. She had brought in her dry-cleaned school uniform that looked far shorter than what seemed necessary. _

_It had only been a few weeks into her new reality when she had taken a wrong turn one day and ended up in a back alley that led to a strange door, seemingly hovering above the ground and inviting her in. That's where she met this woman, a Kami, Kaguya. _

_She informed her that she had made a mistake recently, throwing the modern Sakura into the world of ninja and her, wherever _here _was._

_There had been more questions than she cared to admit, but overall, in the few weeks she had been left to her own devices, she had adjusted. School life had come naturally to her and at first, it startled her, but then she surmised it was probably because she aced all of her school work back in the Academy._

_Sakura sighed, for what felt like the hundredth time since she walked through that mysterious door, before she relaxed her shoulders and leveled Kaguya with a stern look. _

_"At least," She began, clenching and unclenching her jaw as she addressed the strange woman. "Can you tell me how the other Sakura is doing?" With everything that had happened lately, it shouldn't have been so weird to talk about the other Sakura, and yet, the name rolling off her tongue was just as foreign. And it was her own name. _

_The corners of Kaguya's lips twitched, as if in a smile, before a mirror magically appeared from behind her. Sakura stared at it wordlessly, waiting for an explanation. _

_"I can show you, my dear, far better than I can tell you."_

* * *

That led her to the other side; And Kaguya had not been very pleased when she began to see those around that Sakura begin to change drastically, and not for the better. Inner Sakura, as the celestial being had referred to her as in the shinobi world, appeared distressed, somehow. It was very subtle, but she could see it.

And that was only half the shock when Inner Sakura realized that this Sakura was in for one hell of an upcoming battle. Sasuke was looking for her. His older brother, who should have been dead, was in love with her. Some guy named Kaito was obsessed with her and had taken up arms with some guy from the Akatsuki. Inner Sakura felt like her head was going to explode as she stared down at the whole mess of high-strung emotions and pent up aggression, leaking out all over this small village and from behind the scenes.

_"Is there nothing we can do?" _She remembered asking Kaguya, who's face was just as panicked as hers. It looked incredibly wrong on the face of a Kami.

Kaguya was silent for several moments. So much so that Inner Sakura almost screamed. She couldn't leave this world's Sakura to chance. She had to save her, warn her somehow. But she knew it wasn't going to be that simple, no matter how much will she had in her for the fight.

Finally, as if in a daze, Kaguya looked back at her with solemn eyes causing her to hold her breath in anticipation.

_"There is," _She had spoke, her voice that same musically enhanced sound of bells as she addressed her. _"But it's going to be tricky." _

_"Whatever it takes; We have to help her!" _

Perhaps Inner Sakura should have realized sooner, what it meant to cross realms and trifle with the lives they weren't meant to. But for the life of her, it didn't seem as awful an idea as when she first woke up on the other side of reality. She would later come to regret that decision.


	28. Hopeless

**Chapter Twenty-eight; Hopeless.**

* * *

"You're not Sakura." Kaito deadpanned, eyes narrowed as the blinding light enveloped the small girl before bursting and out of if stood someone he was most definitely not familiar with.

It _looked _like Sakura, but the feeling he got from her was not her at all.

The maiden smiled. "You're correct, Captain. I am surely not Sakura-san."

Despite the light having faded, he could practically feel Sakura's body glowing with a certain type of air about it. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he knew something had changed and he was faced with someone he wasn't sure how to deal with.

"Fear not, though, Sakura-san is perfectly fine and in safe hands."

She could see agitation flash across his face before he crossed his arms over his chest and huffed.

"She was _perfectly _fine here!" He shot back, brow furrowed.

The woman grimaced for a brief moment before her face settled back into its natural state, as if unperturbed by his confession.

"Yes, well, you'll have to forgive me if it didn't appear that way." She commented, rolling her shoulders to work out the sudden kink she felt building up.

Despite being a celestial being, Kaguya knew she did not have long before she had to put Sakura back in her own body. While things should have went smoothly without the time limit, it didn't help to have _two _souls trapped inside, let alone the fact that they were the same person. It was a little unnerving for Kaguya, but she held fast and managed to relax her body before she built up too much pressure for Sakura.

Inclining her head slightly, she allowed her body to call forth some of her spiritual power and said, "I do apologize, Captain. There is not a lot of time I have to work with and as such, I cannot humor you any longer." She paused, motioning behind him to the door. "If you'd be so kind,"

Kaito's face fell and he immediately took a defensive stance. There was no shot in hell he was going to let her go, especially not now when some unknown force had control over her body and surely not while Madara was out there, wrecking havoc on the Uchiha brothers in his stead. He had to deal with this now, knock her back out, so he could have enough time to deal with the matter himself.

That was what he had trained himself for. That was what he had _craved_ for after all these years.

Seeing his disposition, Kaguya frowned and shook her head.

"How unfortunate, that you simply just couldn't stand _down_."

At her demand, Kaito felt his body shift out of his control and he landed on the hard, wooden floor with a loud thud.

_'W-What?!' _

Kaguya stepped forward, her brow knitted as she stared down at him.

"You would do well to know what side of the field your playing on, Captain. I do not take kindly to pawns thinking they're knights."

Without waiting for his reply, Kaguya stepped around his fallen body and made her way out the door. Now, she had to find the Uchiha.

* * *

Sakura had barely been able to keep up with the flashbacks of Inner Sakura's memories. They seemed familiar, somehow, but she couldn't place why no matter how much she thought about it.

_Modern society. School and short, sailor uniforms. The friendly faces of all her friends. Her parents._

She felt like she should have remembered them, or something, at the very least, but she continuously pulled blanks from her unrealistic hat. It didn't make sense, despite being physically shown what could have been her previous life before entering this strange land. But nothing came to mind and after awhile, she found herself shaking her head and addressing Inner Sakura once more.

"I'm sorry..." She trailed off, suddenly unsure what she should actually call her lookalike. "But it still doesn't make sense."

If Inner Sakura was worried, she did her best not to show it. Instead, she smiled.

"Hey, don't worry about it, kay? Kaguya said that might be the case."

_Kaguya. The Kami that appeared out of nowhere and started sprouting apologies and promises. _Could she even hold up her end of the bargain? Or, well, whatever _this _was. It didn't seem likely and it only further soiled Sakura's already decreasing mood.

Deciding a change of conversation was in order, Sakura turned her head and motioned to the darkness around them.

"Where are we anyways? Where's Kaguya?" She asked, a frown marring her face.

Inner Sakura looked around as well and said, "I want to say we're in your mind, but all this shadow doesn't seem likely, ya know?" She half joked, but Sakura couldn't bring herself to laugh.

_Maybe it was her mind, in all of its dark and cloudy glory._

"Our body is being controlled by Kaguya right now. Like I said before, you got yourself in quite the predicament. Kaguya, I assume, is trying to get you out of it." She finished before falling silent as she looked off into the distance. She wasn't sure what she was looking at, but she found she didn't mind the silence.

"You know, I was able to garner some of your power whilst in your body-"

Inner Sakura quickly interjected, "_Our _body."

"-So maybe I could have done something more on my own..." She continued, her frown deepening.

It wasn't that she was ungrateful for the Kami's help, but something didn't quite sit well with the fact someone else was in control of her body.

As if catching on to her hidden meaning, Inner Sakura grinned. "I hear ya, it's a little unsettling. _But_, Kaguya's been a huge help with me and everything on my end, so, have a bit more faith, would ya!"

She didn't want to doubt her, but when you're suddenly thrown into some body that was not your own and forced into living a lie with no recollection of your past life or even the person you're impersonating, it was indeed frustrating and more often than naught, Sakura found herself wanting to rip hair out of her head and scream.

Out of nowhere, a familiar face flashed in her mind causing Inner Sakura to whip her head up and stare at her like she'd grown several heads. And then, she smirked.

"I saw that, _Sakura_,"

Unaware of what just happened, Sakura remained quiet.

Inner Sakura continued on, seemingly unfazed, "You care about him, don't you?" It wasn't technically a question, more of a statement that required an answer regardless.

Again, she said nothing.

"You _love _him, don't you?"

Once again, nothing.

Inner Sakura's smirk fell as she assessed her other half in silence. It could have been minutes or hours before either said anything and when one finally had the courage to do so, it was less spoken to the other and more to themselves.

"I really am hopeless, aren't I? Well, I always did imagine I was going to end up with an Uchiha-"

Abruptly, there was a blinding light and then, they were consumed.


End file.
